D3-1 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Howl of the Fright Hound
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: Sequel to Battle of the Humungonauts!, and as the title suggests, this story is a rewrite of the SDMI episode of the same name. 11th entry of my reboot of SDMI. Please read and review!
1. A movie & a night at the stadium

**Author's Note: And now comes the eleventh entry of my reboot of SDMI, folks!**

 **Once again, just like the past entries of my SDMI reboot, expect major changes to the storyline for this entry, especially with the culprit and motive for the episode of the same name where the only way I could describe my thoughts on the episode is through a facepalm.**

 **I don't own _Scooby-Doo._ Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.**

* * *

Chapter 1: A movie and a night at the stadium

 _May 20, 2012_

A weekend has went by since Mystery Inc. has dealt with the menace of the Humungonauts smashing their way through Crystal Cove.

The weekend came just before Crystal Cove's annual Robot Expo Week, which for this year runs from May 21 to May 25.

As the weekend rolled by, Shaggy and Scooby remained preoccupied by what the former and Daphne did that past Thursday night.

"Ri hope rou know what rou were rinking, Raggy." Scooby said. "Ri mean, rou guys practically rid that right rin front of Raphne's parents!"

"I know, Scoob." Shaggy nodded. "And thanks to that, Daph's been grounded by her parents throughout the weekend."

He sighed and shook his head as he sat on the couch.

"Daph needs us, Scoob." Shaggy said after sitting on the couch. "I mean, the only times, as far as I know, that Daph's been happy is when it's just you, me and her and when she's with her sister Delilah."

"Ri know, Raggy." Scooby nodded. "Ri just rish that rere's a way to rake Raphne's runreasonable parents change their minds on rou."

"Yeah, Scoob." Shaggy nodded as well. "I sure wish there is."

He sighed and shook his head again before deciding to reach over to grab the television remote and turned on the television.

At that moment, the television channel was broadcasting a scene where a clown-like man dressed in purple and green and armed with a rifle arrives at a party, flanked by an entourage of men wearing clown masks or wearing clown makeup and are also armed with rifles and machine guns.

Many of the people in attendance at the party were scared silent, as it was clear that the sight of clowns entering the party and armed with guns were no laughing matter, especially after the leading clown fired a shot into the ceiling.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." The leading clown spoke after firing the shot as he made his way through the party.

There was silence in the party room as the other clowns following the lead clown intimidates the party guests, which was then followed by a metal object dropping to the floor.

Once he was sure he had everyone's attention, the lead clown continued.

"We are..." The lead clown said as he reached the snack table and grabbed a shrimp before continuing, "...tonight's entertainment."

After taking a bite out of the shrimp and swallowing, the lead clown then continued, "I only have one question:"

Looking around, the lead clown asked the crowd, "Where is Harvey Dent?"

Shaggy and Scooby shared a look with each other as the lead clown walks towards a random guest, his rifle pointing at her chest, before grabbing her glass, spilling some of the drink in the process, before taking a drink and placed the now-empty glass on the nearby table.

Walking on, the lead clown tags another random guest as he asked, "You know where Harvey is? You know who he is?"

It was then that the scene cuts to outside a party, where a man in a suit encounters one of the lead clown's henchmen, who pointed his rifle at him.

"Hands up, free boy!" The henchman said, only for the man to move knock him down before proceeding to grab the rifle and disassemble it as he continued on.

Back to the crashed party, the lead clown carries on with his rampage.

"You know where I can find Harvey?" He asks as he grabs another random guest by the face. "I need to talk to him about something. Just something, a little, huh?"

Expecting no response from the guest, the lead clown then turned the man's head and carried on, saying, "No."

"This guy sure is a different Joker, Scoob." Shaggy said as he gestured towards the screen. "Completely different than the Jack Nicholson Joker we've seen last month before the school dance."

"Ro kidding." Scooby nodded as they saw a man entering a secret passageway through a wall. "Ris Joker ris no laughing matter."

Shaggy nodded as the scene returns to the crashed party where the lead clown is confronting another guest, this one wearing glasses.

"You know, I'll settle for his loved ones." He said to the guest in glasses.

The guest scoffed before responding, "We're not intimidated by thugs!"

The lead clown smacked his lips before looking at the guest in the eye.

"You know." He said. "You reminded me of my father."

Then, without warning, he pulls out a switchblade, pulled the guest closer to him and brought the switchblade to the guest's mouth and growled, "I HATE my father!"

Just then, a female voice called him out. "Okay, stop!"

The lead clown paused before turning, and seeing the source of the voice, stopped what he was doing and pushed the male guest away.

Walking towards the woman, the lead clown uses the switchblade to adjust his hair while the male guest he had just intimidated was led away by his henchmen.

"Well, hello, beautiful." The clown said as he approaches the woman, who was clearly unnerved by his appearance. "You must be Harvey's squeeze. And you, are, beautiful."

Walking around the woman, it was clear that the woman was intimidated by the clown's presence, and he inches closer towards her.

"Oh, you look nervous." The clown said as he faced the woman, who made a motion to retreat backwards, only for the clown to seize her by the head, pulls her close and places the switchblade by her mouth. "Is it the scars? You want...to know how I got them?"

Keeping the woman close by his side, the clown said, "Come here. Hey!"

Then, noticing that the woman was reluctant to look directly at him, the clown adjusted her head so she'll be looking at him in the eye.

"Look at me." He said as he adjusted her head, then he continued, "So I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you. Who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars."

The woman was clearly disturbed by what the clown was about to say next, so she motioned to turn her head away, only for the clown to force her to turn her head back so she could face him.

"So..." The clown continued. "I stick a razor in my mouth and do this..."

He then proceeded to do an imitation of a razor slicing his mouth open with his tongue before continuing, "...to myself."

With a brief sigh, the clown then poured his emotions out at her.

"And you know what?" The clown asked. "She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!"

As the clown released his grip on her, it was clear that the woman had enough of the tale, and she immediately proceeded to give him a kick as soon as he finished.

Even though it was a painful kick, the clown simply laughed as he retreated.

With the switchblade in hand, he gestured as he said, "A little fight in you. I like that."

"Then, you're gonna love me." A deep voice suddenly said, and then as the clown turned towards its source, a man in an intimidating bat-sized suit jumped at him, causing him to be knocked to the floor.

Watching the other clown thugs moving quick to attack the giant bat, Shaggy and Scooby shared a look with each other.

"Clearly no laughing matter." Shaggy nodded. "I mean, Jack Nicholson's Joker was dangerous, but this one is a clear...like...I don't know, Scoob."

"Reah." Scooby agreed. "Rand ro think rhat clowns are meant ro re funny."

 **(What movie are Shaggy and Scooby watching here?)**

The duo then shrugged before turning to face the television, in time for the giant bat to make a poor choice of words.

* * *

That night, over at the Crystal Cove Terror Dome Stadium, night shift workers were busy doing last-minute preparations for tomorrow's opening of the annual Robot Expo Week.

A team of three workers have finished dusting a robot dog and has moved on to inspect the other robots stored in the warehouse.

"Gee, another year, another robot expo." The first worker remarked as they take a closer look at the robot.

"Yeah. This town never struck me as a technology-oriented place." The second worker nodded as he opened a compartment of the robot and leaned in to inspect the machinery inside.

The third worker nodded as he consulted a check list on a clip board, writing some stuff down.

Over at another area of the warehouse, another group of technicians were busy doing a last-minute test run for their robot.

One of the technicians was doing some typing on the laptop when a second technician walked by her.

"I'm just gonna drop by the washroom to relieve myself." The second technician said.

"Okay, Matt." The first technician nodded, not looking up from her laptop. "Don't take too long."

Matt nodded before exiting the warehouse while a third technician looked on.

Some minutes went by before they heard some growling.

"Did you hear that, Kelly?" The third technician asked.

"I'm sure it's just your stomach, Don." Kelly replied nonchalantly. "We all had dinner just a couple hours ago!"

"Well, you know me, Kelly." Don smiled sheepishly. "Always needing to have a midnight snack in order to satisfy my stomach."

Kelly scoffed but didn't say anything, because she and Don suddenly heard a faint scream, which alerted her and Don.

"Okay..." Don said nervously. "That...was definitely not me."

"Matt's been gone for at least ten minutes." Kelly said as she checked her wristwatch. "The nearest washroom is just across the hallway from the exit doors across the warehouse from here, and there's no way he'll taking this long to relieve himself."

Don nodded as he and Kelly shared a look with each other.

Then, there was another growl and by this point, Don and Kelly were concerned.

"Maybe we should go check on him in the washroom." Kelly suggested.

"Yeah." Don nodded, but before they decided to do something, Matt suddenly burst into the warehouse running and screaming and accompanied by another technician, who was carrying a laptop.

"It's out of control!" The technician accompanying Matt screamed.

"What's out of control?" Kelly asked as she and Don looked up.

"The Wyatt Robot Hound!" Matt shouted. "It's out of control!"

"What do you mean, out of control?" Don asked.

Just then, the warehouse doors burst open and were ripped off its hinges, and everyone in the warehouse stopped what they were doing as they turned towards the source of the commotion.

Standing at the doorway was a brown Great Dane with glowing red eyes, who was growling menacingly.

"That one!" Matt shouted as he pointed at the Great Dane.

Then, the Great Dane leaped and smashed onto one of the nearby crates, causing heavy damage and forcing the nearby technicians to run.

"I've been trying to get it to stop." The technician said with a clear tone of panic in his voice as he furiously types on his laptop. "But the Robot Hound wouldn't respond to my commands!"

It was then that there was more smashing and as the group looked on, the robot hound was running towards them!

"Let's get out of here!" Don shouted.

Everyone screamed as they dropped what they were doing and cleared the warehouse before they could get caught in the damage caused by the out-of-control robot hound's rampage and get injured as a result.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	2. The news and the drive

Chapter 2: The news and the drive

 _May 21, 2012_

The next day, the gang met up in the cafeteria during lunch period as usual.

There was some awkward silence at the table as everyone ate their lunches, most likely due to the strained going-ons at home for everyone.

Eying Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby figured that no doubt her parents have given her an earful over the weekend.

Before Shaggy could open his mouth and say something, Velma broke the awkward silence.

"Hey gang." She announced, and everyone at the table looked up to her. "My cousin Marcie is taking part in the annual Robot Expo Week."

"Oh, really?" Fred asked. "What's her project about?"

"Her group is designing semi-automatic drones that can help birds migrate better on a seasonal basis." Velma explained. "Drones that can help prevent birds from getting too close to airspace frequented by aircraft and near wind turbines."

"Drones that look like scarecrows?" Shaggy raised an eyebrow.

"No Shaggy." Velma shook her head. "They're a special type of drone that will help train birds to avoid those dangerous airspaces."

"Like, maybe your cousin Marcie should design flying scarecrow robots that can do the trick." Shaggy said jokingly.

 **(Note: For a while, I kept confusing Marc ie Fleach of _SDMI_ with Velma's cousin Marcy from _WNSD's A Scooby-Doo Halloween_ , mainly because of the similarity in the pronunciation of their names.)**

"Too bulky." Velma deadpanned.

"Either way, that sounds interesting, Velma." Daphne said.

"Yes it is." Velma nodded. "In fact, I was hoping you guys will join me after school and come to the Robot Expo at the Terror Drome Stadium."

"Sounds like a plan." Fred remarked. "I could use the hangout to get away from the house for the while, especially with Mayor Dad's campaigning gearing up, we've been having guests at home on a daily basis."

"As do I." Daphne added. "You guys know my parents."

"You can count us in as well." Shaggy said as he pointed at himself and Scooby, who nodded in agreement. "Like, it's been a while since we've hung out in a meaningful way, especially with the going-ons at home being a dark cloud hovering over us lately."

"Tell me about it." Daphne sighed as Fred and Velma both nodded in agreement.

Another minute went by before they all finished their lunches, and then they were about to return to their lockers when Velma's phone buzzed.

Raising an eyebrow, Velma reached in to grab her phone and tapped it.

The gang all paused as they watched Velma tapping her phone to read a text message, and then they watched her gasp before she looked up them.

"What's the matter, Velms?" Fred asked in concern.

"That was from Cousin Marcie." Velma replied as she looked up at her friends. "She told me that the opening of the Robot Expo has been postponed."

"Like, how come?" Shaggy asked.

Velma flipped her phone around and showed it to her friends as she said, "This is a photo of the storage room in the stadium she took and sent to me just now."

The gang leaned over to take a closer look, and they all widened their eyes in shock.

"Jeepers!" Daphne remarked.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Hold the phone." Fred said. "Look at all of that!"

The photo they were all staring at was that of the interior of the storage room of the stadium completely smashed up, and there were signs of scratches everywhere and you can certainly see downed wires and some sparks coming from the wires.

"Rhat rould possible do rall of rhat?" Scooby asked.

"Search me." Fred shrugged. "Seems like some sort of giant monster smashed its way through the storage room in the stadium."

"But who could've done such a thing?" Daphne asked.

"And why?" Shaggy added.

There was some silence from the gang as they continued on down the hallway. Along the way, they walked past a few students, who, upon seeing Scooby, stopped in their tracks before hurrying back towards where they were coming from.

Seeing the students' reactions, the gang paused and stared at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Now, I wonder why did that group of students react the way they did when they saw Scooby?" Daphne asked as she gestured towards where those students were at earlier.

"Search me." Shaggy shrugged.

The gang decided to shrug it off before continuing on to their lockers.

Some minutes went by before the gang were chilling at their lockers, which was the moment when another group of students walked by.

When that group of students saw Scooby, one of them walked over to Shaggy and said, "You know, you may wanna keep a leash on your dog, man."

Shaggy arched his eyebrows. "Like, Scoob's well-trained, man."

"I know, but you still wanna keep a leash on him in case he decides to go berserk and attack everyone in school." The student said.

"Ruh?" Scooby asked confusingly.

"Scooby's not the type who will do such a thing." Daphne quickly said.

"What are you talking about?" Velma added.

The student sighed before pulling out the newspaper and said, "I guess you guys didn't read the paper this morning."

"What's on the paper that concerns Scooby possibly going berserk?" Fred raised an eyebrow.

"See for yourself." The student said as he showed them the newspaper front page.

The gang leaned closer to take a closer look at the headline, and they all gasped.

The headline of the Coolsville Gazette said:

"DEMON HOUND ON THE LOOSE

Large part of the storage area at Terror Domes damaged by demon hound overnight, city's annual Robot Expo week postponed"

That wasn't the worst of it, though. The headline was accompanied by a photo of the culprit responsible for the massive destruction.

The gang took a look at the photo before turning to Scooby.

"Like, that demon hound looks just like you, Scoob!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Ri'm sure rou guys can ree that ry eyes are glowing." Scooby replied sarcastically.

"Of course we can't, because your eyes aren't glowing, Scooby." Velma said.

"And you don't have the sharp teeth and such a baggier, threatening face either." Daphne added.

The gang then turned to the student with Shaggy saying, "That hound can't be my Scooby! He's not the type that will attack without provocation."

"Besides, he's not even strong enough to tear through the Terror Dome storage room and cause all that damage." Velma added.

"If you guys say so." The student sighed as Fred handed him back the paper. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."

Watching the student joining his friends, the gang turned to each other and shrugged.

"What kind of a beast is savage enough to smash through the Terror Dome's storage room and cause all that damage described in the paper?" Fred asked.

"It can't be a Great Dane like Scooby." Velma shook her head. "Even with the provocation, at most a Great Dane that size will simply run around, biting people and objects. It won't even have the capability of demolishing a large storage room."

"Maybe we should go check on the stadium after school and see how bad things are." Daphne suggested before turning to Velma and added, "Velma, is your cousin still at the stadium?"

"Right now, she's there with her team to check on their drones for the expo." Velma replied. "From what she'd told me, their drones are still in good shape and was spared from the destruction in last night's attack."

* * *

Later that afternoon, the gang were driving to the Terror Drome Stadium after school.

"I really don't get it." Velma said. "How is it that a Great Dane can summon the strength to demolish the whole storage room of the Terror Dome?"

"Maybe we're not looking at an actual Great Dane." Daphne offered. "After all, the attack took place in the storage room of where the Robot Expo is held at."

"Your point, Daphne?" Fred asked.

"My point is that the culprit isn't a real dog." Daphne said. "It is more likely to be the handiwork of an out-of-control robot."

"An out-of-control robot?" Velma asked. "That's not possible. If a team has a robot that has a tendency to act up and go haywire, then they'll be disqualified from taking part in the expo and the contest afterwords."

"Well, it's a possibility." Fred offered. "Maybe one of the teams got disqualified from taking part in the expo beforehand, and they decided to build that demon hound and get even by destroying the other contestants' robots that are taking part in the expo."

"Maybe." Velma nodded thoughtfully. "Though according to the news article we've read earlier, the attack originated from and was confined to only the storage room of the Terror Dome."

"I guess we'll find out once we get to the stadium, gang." Fred said.

Everyone else nodded thoughtfully as Fred drove on.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	3. At the stadium entrance & confrontation

Chapter 3: At the stadium entrance and the confrontation

A short while later, the gang arrived at the Crystal Cove Terror Dome Stadium.

After parking the van, they made their way into the stadium, though as they did so, they noticed more people nearby backing away when they saw Scooby walking with them.

"Seems like a lot of people think that Scooby's the demon hound, gang." Fred observed as they continued walking.

"No doubt they've read the paper." Velma remarked as they arrived at the main entrance doors to the stadium, where they soon find the area filled with security officers and several sheriff deputies.

The moment the officers saw Scooby, they quickly swan the gang.

"Excuse me." The sergeant leading the deputies said as they approached the gang. "We kindly request that you kids surrender your dog to our custody."

The gang paused as they turned to face the officers.

"Like, you guys are out of your mind if you think Scooby is capable of damaging the storage room as if a tornado stormed through the place." Shaggy spoke first as he stood in front of Scooby, standing in the deputies' way so they can't get to Scooby.

"Well, this photo, which was taken from the surveillance footage in the storage room, disagrees with your assertion of your dog's innocence, Mr. Rogers." The sergeant retorted as he held up the photo that showed the hound trashing the storage room.

"In that case, why isn't Scooby's eyes glowing red right now?" Velma asked as she stepped up, gesturing at Scooby as she spoke.

"That's because it's daytime right now." One of the deputies said as he gestured towards the clear sky. "Obviously, that dog needs his glowing eyes in order to be able to see in the dark."

There was a deadpan from the others, even from the deputy's colleagues.

"That was the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard, Doug." A second deputy said. "You do realize that dog eyes can't glow in the dark, unless its a robot?"

Another pause went by before Doug scratched his head in embarrassment.

"But either way, we need to take your dog into custody, in case he suddenly goes berserk and causes heavy damage like the one in the stadium's storage room." The sergeant said to the gang.

"There's no way Scooby could've done this, Sergeant." Fred said as he stood in the sergeant's way. "Dogs can't do that. It's a rogue robot that did this, not Scooby."

"A robot dog gone rogue?" The sergeant asked skeptically. "This is ridiculous. If the contestants taking part in this expo has a malfunctioning robot, then they wouldn't even qualify to take part in the expo in the first place."

"I'm afraid you don't know how right you are, Sergeant." A voice suddenly said, and everyone turned and looked towards the source of the voice.

Walking towards them was a middle-aged woman with chin-length reddish-brown hair, a sharp-looking chin and nose and dressed in a business suit.

"Janet Wyatt, owner of Wyatt Technologies." The woman introduced herself as everyone turned towards her.

"The firm that built the Wyatt Robot Hound that is due to take part in the demonstration in the Robot Expo." Velma said.

"Yes." Janet nodded. "Only trouble is, our Robot Hound has went missing last night."

"Could it be the one that ransacked the stadium storage room last night, Miss Wyatt?" Daphne asked.

"Heavens, no!" Janet quickly shook her head. "If our Robot Hound went crazy and smashed around the stadium storage room like that demon hound did last night, then my firm would've been disqualified from taking part in the expo."

"However, you still have not been able to find your Robot Hound, Miss Wyatt?" The sergeant raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." Janet nodded. "My son Jason and our team of technicians are still searching for signs of him around the stadium, as that was the last place it was seen last night before it all hit the fan last night."

"Is it possible that someone tampered with your Robot Hound last night, Miss Wyatt?" Velma asked.

"Could be the case." Janet said. "Someone could've tampered it and make it run away, and there's someone I know who I'm sure will do such a thing."

"Who?" Fred asked.

"My chief competitor, Dr. Ned Staples." Janet replied, gesturing towards the main doorway just as Dr. Staples and a few of his assistants emerged from the main lobby. "Owner of Staples Technologies who designed that Mecha Mutt, speaking of the devil."

Just as she finished, Dr. Staples and his team approached them.

"I heard you mention my name, Ms. Wyatt." He said to Janet, who folded her arms and frowned. "What's this I heard about tampering with your Robot Hound that went missing last night?"

"Well, this lady here suggested that the reason why my Robot Hound went missing last night was that because someone tampered with it and make it disappear." Janet replied as she gestured towards Velma before folding her arms again and added, "And I'm looking right at someone who could've done it."

"Huh." Dr. Staples snorted. "I'm sure it wouldn't have happened if your technicians were not careless enough to leave the essential testings to the last minute, nor will it happen had your team worked out the bugs in your robots systems that made it susceptible to hacking."

"Coming from someone who had designed the cyber security system of Destroido Corp. that turned out to have a lot of software bugs that became a portal for hackers to compromise the company's computer network." Janet retorted. "If your company is eager to play dirty, then two came play the game."

"Fine by me." Dr. Staples said before noticing Scooby and added, "Say, you kids may want to get your dog on a leash in case he goes out of control."

"He's not the one that caused the commotion last night, Dr. Staples." Velma said. "And speaking of the commotion, what does your Robot Hound look like, Ms. Wyatt?"

"Well, he's supposed to look like a normal Great Dane with a blue collar." Janet replied. "Why?"

The sergeant showed her the photo of the suspected culprit responsible for the damage at the storage room the night before, and all Janet could do was gasp.

"Well, it's definitely not our missing Robot Hound." She declared. "There's no way it could go on a destructive rampage like this fella. In fact, the only robot that's capable of doing such a thing is Staples' Mecha Mutt."

"That's absurd!" Dr. Staple stormed. "Our Mecha Mutt was under lock and key the whole night."

"Well, if it wasn't either of your robots, then it could only be Mr. Rogers' dog here that did it." The sergeant said as they once again all turned towards Scooby, who whimpered and hid behind Shaggy. "This is our last warning, kids. Hand your dog over to us, or we'll have to do this the hard way."

"You're greatly mistaken, Sergeant!" Velma quickly said as the gang quickly stood in front of Scooby. "Scooby was at Shag's home at bed the whole night."

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Rogers could've paid you guys to secure your dog's alibi." The sergeant retorted as he nodded at the deputies. "Arrest that dog."

"No!" Shaggy exclaimed as he, Fred and Daphne moved to stop the deputies from trying to wrestle Scooby away from them.

"Comply, or you kids will be taken into custody as well." The sergeant said sternly. "And I'm sure the sheriff's in the mood to see you kids in our jail cells again."

"Make us!" Fred gritted his teeth as they all covered Scooby protectively.

What followed was a scuffle involving the gang and several well-armed sheriff deputies.

* * *

 **Uh oh. What will happen next?**

 **Please read and review!**


	4. In custody and arriving at the asylum

Chapter 4: In custody and arriving at the asylum

A short while later, the gang find themselves in police custody once again.

"Here we go again, gang." Fred sighed as he looked out of the cell doors.

"Like, you're telling me." Shaggy grumbled as he gripped the steel bars on the cell doors. "And this time, Scoob's not with us."

"Oh, your pooch is in a safe place." A voice from outside the cells interjected, and the gang turned and saw the sheriff walking towards them.

"'Safe' place, Sheriff?" Velma asked as she placed her hands on her hips. "How is it that Scooby's not here with us?"

"Because he's in a place where he will not be a danger to anyone and you kids." Stone folded his arms. "In the animal wing of the Karmah Asylum for the Criminally Insane, to be exact."

"Karmah Asylum?" The gang all exclaimed in the same time.

"Yes, the doctors will try to treat your pooch and see if they can find out the cause of him going berserk." Stone nodded.

"But Scooby never had any sort of mental history, Sheriff." Velma protested. "He can't be in Karmah Asylum! And besides..."

"Everyone has their own breaking point." Stone cut her off before she could go further. "Who knows? Perhaps your pooch had some sort of a nervous breakdown as a result of facing danger and encountering all those 'spooks' on a regular basis during your 'mystery-solving' cases over the past several months."

"Scoob's not the type who would have sort of thing happening to him, Sheriff." Shaggy retorted. "Like, Scoob and I always have our own share of facing danger, and yet if I had suffered a nervous breakdown like Scoob did, then I would've ended up turning into Godzilla and trash this place."

"Exactly." Stone said. "You're not the one that trashed the stadium, Mr. Rogers. Your pooch did."

"For the umpteenth time, Sheriff." Daphne protested. "Scooby didn't do it!"

"Yeah, sure." Stone scoffed. "Tell that to the _Crystal Cove Gazette_ , who has photos of your dog going savage and attacking the stadium flashed on their front pages."

The sheriff then turned to take his leave, heading down the hallway and made his way to the main door, as the gang looked on.

Once the door was closed shut, the others all turned to Shaggy.

"I just have to open my big mouth." Shaggy sighed.

"Don't worry, Shag." Velma reassured as they shifted closer to him. "When we get out of here, first thing we're going to do is to visit Scooby at Karmah Asylum."

"In addition to getting to the bottom of this mess, gang." Fred agreed. "It's obvious that Wyatt's Robot Hound is behind the rampage and that it is very likely that someone tampered with the robot and made it go berserk."

"Main question now is: Who and why?" Daphne nodded.

"And why go through the trouble of pointing the finger at poor Scoob." Shaggy added before sighing and continued, "I'm so not looking forward to explaining all of this to Mom and Dad when they arrive."

* * *

A short while later, each of the gang's parents arrived at police headquarters to bail them out. Well, except for Shaggys.

Instead, his older brother Neville showed up and paid for his bail.

By that point, the others had already been picked up by their parents and Shaggy was alone in the cell when Neville arrived. He was in his air force work uniform as he marched into the holding cells, accompanied by the deputy.

"Consider yourself lucky that Mom and Dad are out of town, Norville." Neville said after Shaggy filled him in on what had happened. "Who knows what exactly they'll say when they hear the news."

"Tell me about it." Shaggy shrugged. "But I digress, what are your thoughts on Scoob being locked up in Karmah?"

"The idea itself is crazy and warrants getting locked up in a mental institution." Neville shook his head as they made their way out of the police station. "As far as I know about dogs, Scooby is not capable of smashing through a stadium like that mad dog did."

"Exactly." Shaggy nodded as they got onto Neville's Jeep.

As his brother started the engine and backed out of the parking spot, he then added, "Like, where are we heading?"

Neville turned and gave him a look, and then Shaggy blinked in understanding. "Oh."

"Don't worry, bro." Neville said as he turned the Jeep onto the busy street traffic in front of police headquarters. "I'll figure a way to get Daphne and the others to join you in visiting Scooby. But first, we need to get back to the stadium for the Mystery Machine."

"Right." Shaggy nodded in agreement.

* * *

Soon, Shaggy was seated behind the wheel on the Mystery Machine as it was parked two houses away from Blake Mansion.

His brother had stopped the Jeep in front of the front door of Blake Mansion, and Shaggy looked on as Delilah and Daphne emerged from the mansion.

"Don't take all night." Barty can be heard saying behind the closing front door.

"Don't worry, Dad." Delilah called back. "We will be back home before you know it."

A few minutes went by before Daphne tapped on the front passenger window of the Mystery Machine, and Shaggy turned and smiled as she opened the door and let herself in.

"That was perfect timing on your brother's part, Shag." Daphne said as she buckled up.

"Like, tell me about it." Shaggy nodded in agreement as he shifted the van into drive. "Now let's get the others and then go visit Scoob."

"I hope he's doing well in there." Daphne sighed as the Mystery Machine drove off with the Jeep in tow.

* * *

A short while later, the entire gang, minus Scooby, were on the Mystery Machine as Fred drove them over to Karmah.

Fortunately for Fred, his father was very busy meeting with supporters and campaigners, not to mention preparing for another debate with George Avocados, so Fred was able to get out of home without taking an earful from the mayor.

As for Velma, given that her parents were busy doing a couple of town and museum tours, she, too, managed to get out of home without taking an earful from them.

"I hope Scoob's not in some rough place in the asylum." Shaggy was saying as Fred gripped the steering wheel as he made a turn. "Because who knows what would happen to him while he's locked up there."

"Don't worry, Shaggy." Velma said. "We're going to figure a way to get Scooby out of there."

"And while we do so, we also work to get to the bottom of last night's attacks and see who's going through the trouble of framing Scooby for the attacks." Daphne added.

"And I hope we're quick in proving Scoob's innocence." Shaggy added as he leaned forward and pointed towards the front. "Because I certainly don't like the looks of that place up ahead!"

He was pointing towards the dark, haunted-looking building that they're fast approaching by the minute.

"Looks like we've arrived at Karmah, gang." Fred announced as the headlights shined onto the sign beside the gate leading to the dark building.

The sign read, "Karmah Asylum for the Criminally Insane; Crystal Cove County Department of Health"

The creepy font style of the text on the sign sent shivers down Shaggy's spine as a lightning struck in the distance horizon.

"Of all the places for Scoob to end up getting locked up in." He sighed as they parked in the visitors parking section of the parking lot.

"This certainly sounds welcoming." Velma remarked as they walked through the open gate, hearing the creaks from the hinges of one of the gate doors as they did so.

"Don't remind me." Daphne replied.

The boys remained silent as they made their way to the front door and entered the asylum, where they then proceeded to the visitor check-in.

* * *

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	5. In the asylum and the strange music

Chapter 5: In the asylum and some strange music

A short while later, the gang made their way through the main entrance, where they then proceeded to the reception desk.

The security guard at the reception desk was so absorbed in trying to solve a Rubik's Cube that he didn't notice the gang approaching the desk.

The gang shared looks with each other before Fred cleared his throat. When that didn't attract the guard's attention, Velma then noticed the bell on the desk and reached over to ring it.

As soon as she rang the bell, the guard sighed as he put down the cube reluctantly and looked up at the gang.

"May I help you?" He asked impatiently.

"Yes, we're here to see one of your 'patients' in the animal section." Velma said.

"Of course you are." The guard deadpanned. "Name of the patient?"

"Scooby Doo." Shaggy said.

"Oh, so you guys are here to visit that mad dog that trashed the stadium last night, huh?" The guard raised an eyebrow. "Oh well, you guys can visit that pooch of yours, but if something goes wrong, you're responsible for the damages."

"We'll see about that." Shaggy replied nonchalantly.

"Suit yourselves." The guard shrugged before turning and gestured towards another guard and added, "Officer Johnson here will escort you all to the animal section of the asylum, but like I said, don't come running back to me if something goes wrong."

The gang didn't hear the rest of the sentence, as Johnson was already motioning them to follow him and proceeded to lead them to the metal detectors, which also had an x-ray screen.

"Alright, so you kids are here to visit one of our patients, huh?" Johnson asked as he turned to them.

"Yes, we are, Officer Johnson." Velma nodded.

"In that case, stay with me, because as you kids know, those judged to be criminally insane are sentenced here for treatment." Johnson said. "And working with the patients is not exactly a picnic or a walk in a park, so you kids need to stay close with me."

He then gestured towards the metal detectors and added, "But before I let you kids in to visit your pal, you kids need to go through the metal detectors, you know, so we can be sure that none of you are carrying a weapon or any object that can help break someone out of here."

The gang shared looks with each other before shrugging and proceeded to step in through the metal detectors.

During this time, the security guards manning the metal detectors take close look at the x-ray images of each of the gang, typing a few commands at the computer terminal to showcase any traces of metals and anything that could potentially be used as a weapon.

The walk-through the metal detectors was, for the most part, uneventful for the gang as the security officers didn't find any abnormalities as the gang walked through.

Eventually, Johnson motioned them forward, and the gang followed the guard down the main hallway.

There was an eerie feeling in the air as the gang followed the security guard down the hallway, and Shaggy swallowed at the sound of some creepy noises.

Much of the noises came from behind the doors they've passed by, and Shaggy can't help but start shaking.

He wasn't sure which was scarier: The eerie setting in the asylum or the fact that there's a dangerous hound on the loose in Crystal Cove.

"The sooner we finish our visit and get Scooby out of here, the better." He whispered to the others. "I hate to imagine what Scoob has to go through being locked up in a creepy place like this everyday."

"Well, many of our patients are here because they need help with their mental disorders." Johnson said. "Usually, the disturbing visions they're having is the root cause of this eerie feeling you kids are feeling. However, we do have a few patients, including a couple in the animal ward, that are dangerous and are required to be restrained at all times."

Shaggy swallowed at the remark.

"Like, that doesn't make me feel any better." He said.

"Say, what happened to your hand?" Velma asked when she noticed that one of Johnson's hands was wrapped in bandages.

"Oh, I got bitten by one of our inmates yesterday." Johnson explained as he held up the bitten hand. "It was feeding time and this turtle, who we've named as 'Snappy Jack' due to his inability to control his biting and is here for therapy and has been making progress since arriving here, mistakenly bit my left hand harder than it meant."

"Wow wee." Velma remarked. "I hoped you've gotten the bite wound treated fast enough before it infects."

"Well, wait until you see the costs of me receiving the treatment for the bite wound." Johnson snorted. "When you see the cost, an infected wound becomes the least of my worries."

"As in...?" Fred asked.

"Health care costs are over the roof." Johnson sighed. "I don't have health insurance and I don't have health coverage working here, and with the treatment costing me at least $10000, I'm gonna need to work double shift in the next while to pay off the bill."

The rest of the walk was done in silence before the group eventually arrived at the animal ward of the asylum.

When they made their way through the door to the ward, it was clear that the whole place looked like it was out from a horror film or a deeply-haunting nightmare.

The lights were barely on, and even with the daylight outside, with the haunting shadows coming from the cells on both sides, the hallway leading into the ward looked like it could use better lighting.

"There is no way Scoob's gonna last very long in a place like this." Shaggy remarked.

"Tell me about it, Shag." Velma agreed. "In fact, it'll be a miracle if Scooby himself doesn't suffer a nervous breakdown as a result of his prolonged stay in the asylum."

The moment she made the remark, though, Shaggy and Daphne immediately paused and turned towards her with strange looks on their faces.

Realizing the effects of her recent remark, Velma immediately shut her mouth.

Fortunately, the awkward silence was cut short when Johnson announced, "We're here, kids. Cell 1969."

The gang all paused and turned, where they saw Johnson gesturing to a cell door with the nameplate "1969" on it.

And behind the bars sat Scooby, who was whimpering.

"Scoob!" Shaggy exclaimed as he rushed over to the cell door.

Scooby, upon hearing Shaggy's voice, exclaimed "Raggy!" as he rushed over to the cell door, where he immediately reached through the gaps in between the cell door bars to hold Shaggy's hand.

Fred and the girls soon joined suit in holding Scooby's paw.

"How are you holding up, Scoob old buddy?" Shaggy asked in concern.

"Ro far ro good." Scooby said, though the tone in his voice was clear in that the sooner they get Scooby out of the asylum, the better.

"He's doing well for a dog his age." Velma observed before turning to Johnson and added, "But we can't leave Scooby here indefinitely. Is there a way for us to have him released under our care while we sort the mess out regarding the vicious dog attack from last night?"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Johnson replied. "As far as everyone else knows in this town, your pal is responsible for the savage attack at the stadium last night, and last thing we need is the public to go into full panic mode when they see you pal out with you kids, because this is a matter of public safety."

"Please, Officer Johnson." Daphne pleaded as she turned to him. "There's got to be a way. Scooby doesn't belong here! He really doesn't!"

"If you release Scooby to our care, we'll keep him under our watch at all times." Fred added. "We promise."

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to bring that up to the asylum's director." Johnson sighed. "Because like I said, this is a matter of public safety, and Dr. Sionis wouldn't allow any exceptions for the release of a patient that he still deems to be dangerous to the public."

Daphne sighed and swung her arm in frustration at the remark, but as she did so, she accidentally threw her purse towards the ground.

"Oops." She remarked as her purse hit the ground, and amidst the sound of objects inside the purse hitting the floor, a strange music started playing.

Hearing the music coming from the purse, the gang looked at each other before Velma remarked, "Jinkies, that sure is one creepy ringtone for your cell phone, Daphne."

Daphne scooped up her purse and then took out her cell phone and flipped it open, only to see that the music continued to play even though no one was calling her.

"It's not my phone that's ringing, guys." She said as she started digging through her purse. "It's coming from somewhere inside my purse."

"But what could it be?" Shaggy asked as he catch the objects Daphne has tossed out of her purse. "As far as I know, Daph, like, the only thing that makes noise in your purse is your cell-"

"The locket!" Daphne pulled out the key-shaped locket that has the photo of Ronnie Jones and Linda Owens from her purse before Shaggy finished his sentence.

Listening closely, the gang realized that the music became louder when Daphne held the locket closer to their ears.

"The music is coming from this locket!" Daphne said.

"Sure sounds creepy." Fred remarked, but before he could continue, they all heard another strange noise, and this one sounded more like a groan.

Upon hearing the groan, Shaggy asked, "Now what?"

This time, though, it was Johnson who responded as his eyes widened in recognition of the source of the groan.

"I don't believe it." He gasped. "It's him!"

* * *

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	6. Meeting the parrot

**Author's Note: I have to say that out of the aspects of my reboot of SDMI, the hardest part is gonna be how I should portray Professor Pericles in the reboot.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Meeting the parrot

A short while later, the gang were following Officer Johnson down the hallway as the security guard rushed over to a certain door.

"Uh...where are we going, Officer?" Fred asked as they tried to catch up with the guard.

"We're going to check on one particular inmate who's one of the most dangerous inmates of the whole asylum." Johnson replied. "One who hasn't spoken at all since he was interned here twenty years ago after his friends disappeared."

"Who?" Velma asked, though even as she asked the question, deep down, she and the gang all knew the answer as the Johnson stopped at a lock pad to type in a PIN number of sorts.

What followed was Johnson leaning in to a camera of sorts as the device did a retinal scan of his eyes, followed by placing his hand on a hand-shaped scanner.

Next, he then spoke into a microphone and said, "Officer Brandon Johnson..."

Before he could continue, a high-powered firearm suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was aimed at the gang.

Just as the gang stiffened at the sight of the weapon, Johnson continued, "...with four guests."

At that remark, the firearm retreated back into where it came from.

As the gang relaxed, Johnson joined them as a series of doors began unlocking and opening up, revealing a large, dark and yet illuminated room with a large, airtight glass dome inside.

And right inside the glass dome stood what appeared to be a purple parrot with a scar on its left eye and is wearing a straitjacket.

The gang's eyes all widened as they recognized Professor "Knows Too-Much" Pericles, who was a member of the Mysteries Five that disappeared twenty years ago.

"Professor Pericles!" Daphne exclaimed in recognition as they stopped in front of the dome, standing at arm's length away from it.

"Somebody say my name?" The parrot asked, its eyes settled onto Fred as he spoke, and they can all hear the thick German accent in his voice.

Fred, with his mouth hanging open, motioned to walk closer to the side of the glass dome when Johnson grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Keep your distance from Professor Pericles." He urged as he stopped Fred. "He's a very dangerous inmate of ours."

"Oh, Johnson." Pericles retorted. "I am deeply hurt. These kids are visiting me, because they've got some questions for me. I'm merely here to offer them advice."

"Like, what sort of-?" Shaggy asked, only for Johnson to cut him off.

"Pay no attention to the parrot." Johnson glared. "He may be small like all parrots, but that doesn't mean he's far from being a danger to you kids. Inside that skull of his holds the smallest, and yet, pound-for-pound, the smartest brain in the whole world."

"Johnson, my dear man." Pericles scoffed. "Vhere are your manners? Didn't your mother teach you not to interrupt someone vhen he asks an important question?"

"Perhaps you're the one who hasn't learned any manners in keeping that beak of yours shut at the appropriate times." Johnson turned and glared at the parrot as his hand reached in to his holster for his Taser. "If you don't shut that beak of yours, then you can expect an electric shock from a Taser with voltage capable of frying a small hummingbird into a roast..."

However, as Johnson reached in to his holster, he didn't felt the Taser and a slightly-panicked look began to form on his face. "...oh no."

To the astonishment of the gang, Pericles then produced the Taser that was in Officer Johnson's holster, even though he was a good distance away from the sides of the glass dome, in addition to the fact that he was wearing a straitjacket.

"Jinkies!" Velma remarked. "How does he...?"

"I'll save the explanation until later, dear child." Pericles smirked before turning to Johnson and added, "Really, Johnson. I've expected you to have learned your lesson on never to carry _any_ potential veapon while visiting my humble nest..."

"You return that Taser to me right this instant!" Johnson snapped as he pointed at the parrot. "Because if you don't, I will have you declared unruly and then the doctors will bring you into another more secure location..."

"You and vhat army?" Pericles taunted before pulling the trigger.

However, to everyone's shock and horror, the Taser ended up firing its electric shocks right towards Fred, who was the closest to the glass dome.

"Yaaahhhh!" Fred exclaimed as he received the electric shock from the Taser, a shock that came with him flashing back and forth between his normal exterior appearance and that of his skeleton.

A few seconds of shock went by before the blonde collapsed onto the floor with some smoke emerging from his person and clothing.

"Oops." Pericles remarked as the rest of the gang quickly rushed to Fred's aid. "My aim must've been off..."

Johnson was about to think of something when the parrot aimed his Taser at him and fired the shocks, causing him to be Tasered as well.

"...though you should know that I never miss _twice_." The parrot finished as the security officer hit the floor.

As Fred groaned and rubbed his head, Velma asked, "Are you alright, Freddie?"

"Other than feeling like I've been hit by lightning twice, Velms..." Fred said as he puffed some smoke, wincing as he remembered getting a nasty shock from the Phantom three weeks ago. "...I think I'm okay."

"And you will be." Velma said as they all turned towards the parrot and added, "As soon as you can tell us what exactly were you talking about?"

"Yeah." Daphne added as she glared at Pericles. "How did you know we've got questions for you?"

"If I don't know, vill they call me 'Knows Too Much'?" Pericles chuckled humourlessly. "Dear child, allow me to explain."

"Explain what exactly?" Shaggy arched his eyebrows. "Like, why is Scoob locked up in this nuthouse?"

"Look around you, child." Pericles said. "For every mystery, there are always clues laying around that tells the story on vhat exactly happened."

He then gestured towards the locket Daphne is holding as he continued, "As a matter a fact, this locket on your person is a piece of the puzzle."

"What puzzle?" Velma asked.

"A puzzle that tells us vhat secrets awaits you all as you dig deeper." Pericles answered. "Dark secrets that has shaped the history of this _cursed_ town."

Shaggy swallowed at the remark and the others all turned to him.

"I honestly don't like the sound of that." He said as the others looked at him.

"You vouldn't." Pericles nodded. "Unless you kids are villing to take the risk and expose these dark secrets, I suggest you all drop the investigation into the disappearance of the Mysteries Five, of which I was once vas."

"Can you tell us what exactly happened all those years ago, Professor?" Fred asked.

Noticing that Johnson was stirring and returning to consciousness, Pericles replied, "Perhaps it's something that should be told another day. However, going forward, I have a couple pieces of advice."

The gang looked on intently as the parrot continued, "First off, nothing in this cursed town is vhat it seems."

Then, the parrot stared at Fred as he added, "And second, _beware_ of those closest to you."

The gang all blinked as the parrot made the remark, and the look of confusion on Fred's face was unmistakable.

Noting the look of confusion on Fred's face, Pericles added, "For my second advice, I am referring _specifically_ to you, **Frederick**."

Everyone gasped and turned to Fred after the parrot made the remark, and Fred stared at Pericles.

"What do you mean I need to beware of those closest to me, Professor?" He asked. "And how do you know my real name?"

"You vill find your answer, should you chose to continue to pursue those secrets that haunts this cursed town." Pericles replied nonchalantly.

Before the parrot could continue, Johnson stood up and pushed the gang away from the dome.

"All right, that's enough!" He snapped. "You kids have seen enough for the day, so off you go!"

Johnson then shooed the gang away as he continued, "Off, off, off!"

As the gang exited the large room, Johnson stopped as he turned towards Pericles and added, "As for you, Pericles, your behaviour today was totally inexcusable!"

"Of course you vill say that, Johnson." Pericles smirked. "I was merely offering the kids some advice."

"No doubt it's the type of advice that will see those kids become criminal masterminds someday." Johnson retorted. "But either way, I'm informing Dr. Sionis about what you've done, and I'm sure he's not going to be very pleased by the report."

"Suit yourself, Johnson." Pericles replied nonchalantly.

* * *

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	7. Back in the stadium & relevations

Chapter 7: Back at the stadium and relevations

A short while later, the gang were seated on the Mystery Machine with Fred behind the wheel as usual.

"So where are we heading, Fred?" Velma asked as they drove down the highway.

"We're heading back to the scene of last night's attack, where we're gonna see if we can find any clues." Fred answered.

"Hopefully, whatever we're looking for could be the key for us to clear Scooby's name." Daphne said.

"Yeah." Shaggy nodded. "I really don't wanna fancy the thought of Scoob spending a night in that creepy old mansion."

"And speaking of which, do you guys really believe what Professor Pericles just said to us?" Velma asked.

"I honestly don't know if we should believe a single word that comes out of that parrot's mouth." Daphne shook her head. "And don't forget that he managed to Taser Fred and Officer Johnson during our visit."

"Don't remind me." Fred remarked. "But anyways, it will be helpful if we can find clues that can help us clear Scooby's name."

"And the sooner we do so, the better." Velma said as everyone else nodded in agreement.

* * *

A short while later, the gang were back in the Terror Dome Stadium and were making their way through the hallways with Marcie leading the way.

"Yes, I heard about your dog being blamed for this mess." Marcie was saying before shaking her head and added, "Honestly, I'm no expert in animals, but even I can tell that the damage in the storage room last night was not caused by a dog going berserk."

"You're telling us." Fred said before adding, "But anyways, by any chance, can you tell us more about the going-ons between Wyatt Technologies and Staples Technologies, Marcie?"

"All I know is that Dr. Wyatt used to be business partners with Dr. Staples." Marcie turned to him. "The two used to work frequently together in designing robots and other form of smart technology and machinery."

"Dr. Wyatt?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"Mrs. Wyatt has a doctorate degree in robotics and mechanical engineering." Marcie explained. "For a while, she had a promising career in the Corps of Engineers as their top robotics designer before she lost a leg during deployment to Bosnia, at which point she was discharged from the Army."

"I take it that she's wearing a prosthetic leg, is she?" Velma asked.

"That's right." Marcie nodded. "It has been upgraded with robot parts to help her function well and get around. Anyways, after she left the Army, Mrs. Wyatt started working for a private engineering firm who has been a major contractor with the Pentagon."

"Which is when she met Dr. Staples?" Shaggy asked.

"Exactly." Marcie nodded. "The two of them hit it off well as partners, which came at a time when Jason Wyatt was mourning the death of his father, who was killed while on deployment overseas."

"Jinkies." Velma remarked. "And Dr. Staples helped her cope with the loss as they were partnered together?"

"That's right." Marcie replied. "Dr. Staples himself is a widower, having had lost his wife in a car accident years ago, and his experience helped Dr. Wyatt in moving forward. Eventually, the two of them decided to form their own robotics firm together, initially named as Wyatt & Staples Partners. However, the two founders had a falling-out couple years ago and parted ways in bitter terms."

"What caused the falling out that led to the dissolution of their partnership?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know." Marcie shrugged. "From what I heard, it was something of a private nature, perhaps creative differences, that caused the falling out. Either way, the two hasn't been at best of terms lately as they become competitors in the robotics industry."

"We can see that." Fred nodded before noting the time and added, "Anyways, we should split up, gang. Velms and I will check with Dr. Staples while Shag, you and Daph go and check with Dr. Wyatt."

"Okay." Shaggy nodded, feeling a little awkward about Scooby's absence.

"Come on, let's go." Daphne said as she led the way and towed Shaggy's hand, forcing him to jump to his feet to try to catch up with her.

 **(Fred and Velma)**

"You both know as well as I do that the very idea that someone in my firm will sabotage the Wyatt Robot Hound is ridiculous." Dr. Staples was saying as he was interviewed by Fred and Velma a few minutes later.

Both Fred and Velma had neutral looks on their faces, and Velma was fiddling with a pen as she and Fred looked at Dr. Staples.

"Dr. Staples, your firm has been competing for contracts in the robotics industry for quite some time, has it not?" Fred asked.

"Yes." Staples nodded as his daughter Melanie and a handful of support crew members examined their Mecha Mutt nearby. "Our firm has secured contracts with various defense contractors and governments, including with NASA for exploration projects."

"You founded Staples Technologies with Dr. Wyatt initially, did you not?" Velma asked.

"Uh...yes." Staples replied. "We met while working for Blackgate Incorporated, a major defense contractor in the country, and our successful partnership in various projects led to our decision to form our own company."

"And you guys were successful in the robotics industry, becoming a major subcontractor to Blackgate, have you not?" Velma raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." Staples nodded. "Our firm was growing rapidly as we continue to be awarded contracts for robot and mechanical designs by various stakeholders."

"But you guys later dissolved your partnership." Fred said. "Was there any particular reason that resulted in you guys having a fallout with each other and led to Dr. Wyatt leaving your firm and founding her own firm?"

"Well...to be honest, it's a long story." Staples sighed as he scratched his head. "You see...Dr. Wyatt and I had...a difference of opinion after we were awarded a contract to build...a robot dog."

"A robot dog?" Velma raised an eyebrow.

"That is correct." Staples nodded. "Our firm was contracted to build an advanced robot dog, complete with artificial intelligence and with the ability to explore new terrain and assist in construction projects for potential plans to build lunar stations on the Moon."

"But Dr. Wyatt had other plans in mind for the robot dog." Fred interjected.

"Yes." Staples nodded again. "Dr. Wyatt was interested in building the robot dog for the interests of defense, the type that can replace an attack dog and be deployed into war zones and help our troops and allies secure territory without endangering the lives of troops."

"And you didn't agree with her proposal." Velma said.

"Only as the robot was in the course of development." Staples said. "As the robot's design began to take shape, I also started to notice that some of the robot's programming apparatus contains problematic algorithms that deals with a robot making ethical choices."

"Ethical choices that could become a slippery slope should such programming becomes the norm for killer robots?" Velma asked.

"Exactly." Staples replied. "I tried to outline my concerns to Dr. Wyatt, also warning that the loopholes in the programming could also leave the robot vulnerable to outside influence, like hackers for instance, but she was more concerned about us winning the contract, which is worth millions, and would hear none of it."

"She would like to enter your new design into consideration for the contract, even if the design itself was flawed." Fred interjected.

"That's right." Staples nodded. "We had a heated argument in the late stages, and it was then that she decided that she can't work with me again, saying that I'm becoming too much of the type of pushover that's not willing to take necessary risks."

"And so she quit the firm and formed her own firm as a result." Velma said.

"Yes." Staples said. "Now, regarding last night's attacks, I won't be surprised if someone managed to exploit the loopholes in the programming of the Wyatt Robot Hound and took control of it, which is exactly the scenario I was warning Dr. Wyatts about early on when the robot hound was in development."

Fred and Velma both narrowed their eyes and shared looks with each other at the remark.

As they tried to think of something else to say, Melanie called him over, and after having a brief conversation, the scientist returned to Fred and Velma.

"You kids will have to excuse me." Dr. Staples said. "My daughter and team are working on a repair that requires my expertise in robotics."

With that, the scientist went to join his team once more, leaving Fred and Velma behind to share looks with each other as they digested his remarks.

"I hope Shag and Daph are having a better luck than us." Velma remarked.

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	8. More discussions and the schematics

**Author's Note: Starting this winter, I am going to split Dimension Three into two timelines, which is gonna be the same way Dimension Five consists of two different timelines.**

 **The two timelines of Dimension Three consists of my reworkings of _Scooby-Doo!: Mystery Incorporated_ , and while this reboot is going to be continued under D3-1 (Timeline One), a new Scooby series will begin under D3-2 (Timeline Two).**

 **The new D3-2 series in question is going to be titled as _Scooby-Doo! Paranormal Instincts_ , and the tone of the series will be similar to that of SDMI, in addition to having stories that uses the SDMI episode titles but featuring completely different storylines.**

 **For instance, the origin story of _Paranormal Instincts_ is going to be titled as _Beware the Beast from Below_ , and unlike the original episode of the same name and the reboot, this new story will have a completely different storyline, so stay tuned!**

* * *

Chapter 8: More discussions and the schematics

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Daphne wasted no time finding Dr. Wyatt and started fielding her questions regarding the robot hound.

"Only one person could've issued me threats." Dr. Wyatt proclaimed. "Dr. Staples has always been holding a grudge towards me since our partnership dissolved over creative differences regarding the design of a robot dog."

"I take it that it wasn't just an ordinary robot dog, Dr. Wyatt." Daphne offered.

"No, it wasn't." Dr. Wyatt shook her head. "It was to be a revolutionary design that can help reduce the amount of casualties in the battle field, engaging in reconnaissance, surveying and leading the charge against enemy fire."

Shaggy and Daphne shared looks with each other before the former asked, "Like, is the robot supposed to be controlled from a remote control or what?"

"No." Dr. Wyatt shook her head once more. "Right now, we're in the testing phase, but the Robot Hound was supposed to be able to operate autonomously without the need for a human operator controlling it behind the scenes at all times."

"Like the type that can respond to commands and move on its own without the operator using the controls manually?" Daphne waved her hands suggestively.

"Yes, but more advanced than that." Dr. Wyatt replied. "Let's just say that the Robot Hound is the first step towards a smart dog, where it has the intelligence of a human being while having the physical traits and capacity of a canine multiplied into that of a superdog."

"Which I take requires extensive programming algorithms to make it more autonomous." Daphne nodded. "Is there a risk that someone could tamper with the programming prior to the unveiling of the Robot Hound?"

Dr. Wyatt narrowed her eyes, then she asked, "Are you suggesting that one of my assistants could be responsible for this, Miss Blake?"

"Well, I-" Daphne began to speak, only for Shaggy to speak up.

"Wait a minute, Dr. Wyatt." He quickly cut in. "You just asked if we're suggesting that one of your assistants could be responsible, but earlier, you keep accusing Dr. Staples of being responsible for the Fright Hound going crazy, Dr. Wyatt."

Dr. Wyatt and Daphne both turned towards Shaggy as he continued, "We know that you and Dr. Staples had a history, and unless you're suggesting that one of your assistants could be working on behalf of Dr. Staples in sabotaging the Robot Hound, what was it we said that made you think that we were suggesting that one of your assistants is responsible for tampering with the robot?"

Dr. Wyatt paused her lips as she turned towards her son Jason, who was deep in discussion with a couple of the technicians regarding the workings of another robot they were working on, then she frowned before turning back towards the duo.

"Okay, if anyone else asks, especially Dr. Staples, you two didn't hear any of this from me." She said to them in a hushed tone.

Shaggy and Daphne shared looks with each other before they turned back to face her and urged her to continue.

Drawing in a breath, Dr. Wyatt said, "I know Dr. Staples for quite the while, as you both know already. I may have bitter feeling towards the way we dissolved our partnership, but if there's one thing I do know, it's that he's not as good in programming as I am."

"Like, you mean that he felt the advanced programming of the Robot Hound is too advanced and that it could bring the industry into a grey area filled with unknowns at a time when the technology remains in its infancy?" Shaggy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ned was never the type who would take risks." Dr. Wyatt frowned. "But in this industry, sometimes you need to take the risks in order to open up a new frontier for others to follow and explore, and Ned was reluctant to approve my design for the robot dog."

"Which was why you guys dissolved your partnership." Daphne nodded. "But either way, as you mentioned earlier, Dr. Staples isn't as good in programming as you are."

"He isn't." Dr. Wyatt shook her head. "If he were to tamper with the Wyatt Robot Hound, he wouldn't have been able to do it on his own, and no one in his firm knows the security protocols implanted in the programming of the Robot Hound."

"Wait, so no one at Staples Technologies actually followed your lead in quitting Dr. Staples' firm and helped you start up Wyatt Technologies?" Daphne asked.

"That's right, not that they needed to." Dr. Wyatt nodded. "In the course of my work in the industry, I've received help from many contacts, and when I needed to start my own firm, my contacts granted me the help I need to start Wyatt Technologies and introduced me a number of technicians and programmers."

"And no one at your firm is supposed to be sharing your trade secrets with Staples Technologies." Shaggy interjected.

"That's right, since such act would amount to industrial espionage and could result in disciplinary action taken against the offending technician, as they have to abide by a code of ethics that puts their duty to their employer and client first." Dr. Wyatt replied.

Shaggy and Daphne both nodded as they shared looks with each other and frowned.

* * *

A short while later, Fred and Velma had joined them and Dr. Wyatt, where Shaggy and Daphne wasted no time telling them what Dr. Wyatt had said earlier.

"So if someone within your firm was indeed responsible for tampering with the Robot Hound, Doctor, is there any particular reason why he or she would go through the trouble and do just that?" Velma asked.

"Not that I can think of." Dr. Wyatt shook her head. "If we lose the contract as a result of the Wyatt Robot Hound going berserk, then there goes our income stream."

The gang shared looks with each other before Velma asked, "Would it be okay if we take a look at the design schematics of the Robot Hound, Dr. Wyatt?"

Dr. Wyatt paused her lips before turning towards Jason and the technicians, who had paused from their work and turned towards her.

"Vic, would you be kind enough to show these kids the schematics of the Robot Hound?" Dr. Wyatt asked.

"Of course, Dr. Wyatt." Vic nodded before waving his hand over and added, "Follow me."

* * *

Soon, the group were in the secure storage room where Wyatt Technologies has kept the design schematics of its creations.

The gang looked on as Vic reached the drawer and turned the combination lock handle to unlock it.

"Now, before you kids take a look at the schematics, I must warn you all that all of the information present in the schematics are confidential and that it must not be divulged to anyone." Vic said.

"We understand, Mr. Phillips." Fred nodded. "And don't worry, we won't tell anyone about the contents of the drawings."

"Alright." Vic nodded as he unlocked the drawer and then added, "Go ahead."

Fred and Velma stepped forward to the drawer and leaned forward to peek inside, only to frown.

"You said that the schematics of the Wyatt Robot Hound are stored in this drawer, right?" Velma asked as she turned to Vic while Shaggy and Daphne leaned over to look.

"Of course, I wouldn't have brought you kids here and unlock this drawer if the schematics weren't stored here." Vic replied with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Phillips." Shaggy said. "But the drawer's empty."

"Empty?" Vic asked before leaned into the drawer to take a look, only for his eyes to widen when he saw that there was nothing in the drawer. "Oh no! The schematics! They're gone!"

Panicking, Vic continued as he pushed the drawer close and rushed over to the door, "They were locked up here in the drawer just yesterday!"

"Clearly, whoever tampered with the Robot Hound had also stolen the schematics." Fred remarked as they followed Vic out of the room.

"Dr. Wyatt is not gonna be pleased when she learns about this." Vic added as the gang followed him down the hallway.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	9. In the office and the drive

Chapter 9: In the office and the drive

It took no time for the gang and Vic to find Dr. Wyatt, and as the technician predicted, Dr. Wyatt was not pleased at all by the news.

"Just what I needed while the Robot Hound is running loose in the streets." Dr. Wyatt slammed her hands on her desk in her office. "The schematics to the Robot Hound stolen!"

"No doubt that this is gonna be the final nail in the coffin regarding the Robot Hound, Dr. Wyatt." Fred said. "I mean, with the missing schematics and the tampered robot running loose in the streets, you've got your plate full."

"No need to remind me." Dr. Wyatt sighed. "At this point, I am seriously wondering if Dr. Staples was right that our development of the Robot Hound was rushed and that it was premature to have the robot submitted to the competition in the Robot Expo."

"Sounds like you might be planning to press the restart button on the project once this is all over, Dr. Wyatt." Velma remarked.

"At this point, there's no way we're gonna keep a lid on this for long, so the best course of action would be for us to cut our losses and press the reset button." Dr. Wyatt nodded.

"But Dr. Wyatt, we've poured millions of dollars worth of research into this project." Vic urged. "Surely, we've had hit plenty of speed bumps along the way, but the project has its promises that could reduce casualties the battlefield, so wouldn't it be premature for us to pull the plug now?"

"While you make some good points, Mr. Phillips, at this point, our potential clients are not gonna be pleased when they learn about the snags we've hit along the way." Dr. Wyatt shook her head. "Especially with the schematics being stolen, that's going to be the waterloo of the Robot Hound project."

"But we've already come this far, Dr. Wyatt." Vic said. "I thought you said that you're the type who would never back down from a fight."

"I'm not, but that doesn't mean I don't know when's a good time to cut our losses while we still can and not make this a bigger fiasco." Dr. Wyatt shot back.

Before Vic could retort, Daphne interrupted, "Sorry to interrupt, but by any chance, where's the women's washroom? With what we've been doing lately, I haven't had the chance to relieve myself so would it be okay if..."

"Down the hallway, turn left at the second intersection, and the women's washroom is on your right." Dr. Wyatt quickly said as they turned to Daphne. "You shouldn't miss it."

"Perfect." Daphne smiled before she grabbed Velma's hand and added, "Thanks."

She then made her way out of the office, forcing Velma to catch up as she tugged her by the hand, all as Shaggy and Fred shared looks with each other and arched their eyebrows.

No sooner did Velma and Daphne were out of the room did the former finally asked, "What was that for, Daphne?"

"I'm sure you're gonna appreciate the opportunity to look around while I use the washroom." Daphne winked.

"But you usually take almost an hour to finish using the washroom." Velma exclaimed.

"Exactly." Daphne nodded.

Eventually, the two girls arrived at the ladies washroom, and although Velma remained uncomfortable with the way Daphne excused them, she nonetheless looked around as the redhead entered the washroom.

The first thing Velma noticed was technician office across the hallway with the door unlocked, and looking around to make sure no one was around observing her, she instinctively sneaked into the office.

Walking over to the desk, Velma noticed that the computer was unlocked and glancing around to make sure she wasn't being observed by someone, she then sat in front of the desk and started typing away.

Within minutes, she was scrolling through several spreadsheets and schematics and her eyes were widening at what she was seeing.

Without missing a beat, she quickly grabbed her USB stick, plugged it onto the computer, and then started downloading the files she was seeing.

It was then that she heard footsteps coming from the hallway, and she turned towards the doorway and peeked outside.

Seeing Vic walking down the hallway, she pounded on the ladies washroom door and said, "Daphne, are you almost done in there?"

Without waiting for a response, she rushed back into the office to check the progress of the download.

 _79 % downloaded._ She noted. No doubt that the files she was downloading is taking up a lot of space.

Hearing Vic's footsteps inching closer, she swiftly opened up her laptop and placed it on the desk and started typing.

 _Good thing I carry my laptop around with me at all times._ Velma thought to herself just as Vic arrived at the doorway and stopped in his tracks.

"What are you doing in there?" He asked when he saw Velma seated at his desk.

"Uh, sorry, Mr. Phillips." Velma quickly said as she stood up. "Daphne was taking her sweet time in the washroom and I got bored, so I decided to find a room to sit down and...uh...use my laptop to catch up on some studies to pass the time."

Then, noting the bewildered look on Vic's face, she added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude in your office space here, it's just that the this was the first place I saw that was unlocked, and I'm not the type who would sit down on the floor and use my laptop, and..."

"No need to apologize, I understand." Vic nodded before gesturing towards the hallway as he added. "Just...maybe go to the cafeteria to wait next time, since its just down the hallway that way."

"Right, I will keep that in mind." Velma nodded as she closed her laptop. "Anyways, I think I heard the sink running in the ladies washroom, so I should...get going now."

"Of course." Vic smiled. "Take your time."

Velma nodded back, and seeing Vic checking his watch, she swiftly unplugged her USB stick from Vic's computer before rushing out of the office.

"There you are, Daphne." Velma said as Daphne emerged from the washroom. "Thought you had decided to turn the washroom into your makeup room."

"Oh, stop it." Daphne said playfully as the two girls made their way back to the others, all while Vic turned towards them with a weird look forming on his face.

* * *

A short while later, the gang were back on the Mystery Machine and driving through downtown Crystal Cove.

There was some awkward silence between the gang before Fred finally asked, "So do you mind asking us what was that about, Daph?"

"Or more to the point, what did you girls found." Shaggy said. "Hopefully, it's something that could help get Scooby out of Karmah."

"Don't worry, Shaggy." Velma said. "I did. While Daphne was taking her sweet time in the ladies washroom, I happened upon Vic's office with the door and computer unlocked, someone better tell that guy to get into the habit of locking his computer before exiting his office."

"And you found something." Fred said.

"I did." Velma nodded as she held up a USB drive and added, "Now, I didn't have the time to go through an in-depth examination of the files relevant to the Robot Hound, but I was able to download them onto my USB stick. And I have to say, there's plenty of worrying information that I caught sight of."

"What sort of information?" Daphne asked.

"Let's just say that someone in Wyatt Technologies has been under the payroll of a rival corporate shark, which isn't Staples Technologies, by the way, who has not been successful in its plans to acquire Wyatt Technologies." Velma said. "The corporate shark, whose efforts in acquiring Staples Technologies has similarly hit dead ends, decides to buy put options on Wyatt Technologies."

"As in betting the money on Wyatt Technologies tanking as a result of the failure of its Robot Hound?" Fred asked.

"That's right." Velma nodded. "For that to happen, the Robot Hound had to be tampered with so that it would cost Wyatt Technologies potential clients in the demand for the robot dog."

"And where does Staples Technologies fit into all of this?" Daphne asked.

"The corporate shark's plan doesn't stop at Wyatt Technologies." Velma continued. "The next phase involves tampering with the Mecha Mutt and resulting in Staples Technologies similarly losing its potential clients. With the shares of their competitors tanking, that corporate shark then moves in to acquire both companies at a cheap price, establishes a firm footing in the robot technology sector and profits from the new clients it managed to lure away from Wyatt Technologies and Staples Technologies."

"And let me guess." Fred said. "That rival corporate shark in question is none other than our old friend Destroido Corp."

"Exactly." Velma nodded.

There was some silence as Fred stopped the Mystery Machine at a red light, during which Shaggy and the girls shared looks with each other.

"I honestly don't like the sound of this." Shaggy finally broke the silence.

"Me neither." Fred agreed.

"Could all of this be what Professor Pericles was talking about earlier?" Daphne asked worriedly.

"Maybe, but is there any reason why we should trust the word of someone who's officially criminally insane?" Velma pointed out.

"Well, why exactly was the parrot locked up there in the first place?" Daphne countered. "Maybe he found out a secret about Destroido Corp and they have to silence him by buying out our courts and have him ruled to be criminally insane."

"Which could also explain why his friends disappeared in '87." Shaggy added.

"Either way, gang." Fred said. "We may have just found Scooby's ticket out of Karmah, which means that we're heading straight to the sheriff's place so we can try to convince Stone that Scooby's innocent."

While dealing with the sheriff is the last thing the gang wanted to do, in this case, the sheriff holds the key to Scooby's release from a mental institution that doesn't exactly have a good reputation as a mental treatment facility.

In fact, come to think of it, the name Karmah bares an eerie resemblance to the name of an asylum featured prominently in _Batman_ comics and other media adaptations.

It was a thought that clearly made Shaggy feel deeply uncomfortable, which is also why in spite of his disdain towards the sheriff, he knew that it's better to not get onto the sheriff's nerves and hopefully get on with securing Scooby's release.

"In that case, step on it, Freddie." Velma urged as the light turned green. "We don't have a lot of time."

Fred nodded as he stepped on the gas and the van quickly took off, speeding its way towards the headquarters of the Crystal Cove County Sheriff's Office.

However, unbeknownst to anyone on the van, the sheet cover in the back slowly gave way as the Robot Hound, with its eyes glowing red, peeks up.

The scene then shifts closer to the Robot Hound itself, where one can see the red eyes radiating with the coldness associated with the looks on a killer machine one normally see in movies like _The Terminator_.

* * *

 **To all of my readers out there, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


	10. At the sheriff's and the chase

Chapter 10: At the sheriff's and the chase

A short while later, the gang are at the sheriff's office as Stone digested the information they had just provided, and the frown on his face deepened.

"So you kids are basically saying that someone tampered with some robot dog, who then goes on a rampage around town, all while your pooch Scooby is mistaken for the dog." Stone finally asked, clearly not impressed.

"Well, if that wasn't the case, Sheriff, we wouldn't even be here in your office having this discussion in the first place." Velma pointed out.

"And yet, here you kids are, wasting your time and my time in trying to convince me that your dog was sent to Karmah in a case of mistaken identity." Stone said as he stood up from his seat. "Besides, as I said earlier, your dog is in Karmah for his own good, where he won't be a threat to anyone."

"In the meantime, while Scooby is locked up, the tampered Robot Hound is still on the loose, Sheriff." Daphne stepped forward. "You really think Scooby being locked in the asylum won't endanger anyone, but in reality, it doesn't make anyone safer when the real culprit is still at large."

Stone only glared in response, but before he could say anything, some smashing and screaming can be heard from outside.

Everyone arched their eyebrows when they heard the noise, which was then followed by gunshots.

"Hmmm..." Stone frowned as they heard the gunshots. "Sounds like your dog had smashed his way out of the asylum and has made a return to town, kids. Just what I needed."

The gang all frowned as the sheriff picked up the phone on his office desk and dialed a number before placing the earpiece by his ear.

"I'm calling the asylum to see if they've gotten any escapees." Stone continued as he covered the mouth piece. "Maybe they can shed some light onto your robot dog theory."

The gang shared looks with each other just as Stone's call was put through.

"Hello, this is Sheriff Stone speaking." Stone began when the party at the other end answered his call. "Can you give me a status report regarding one of your inmates?"

A pause went by before Stone continued, "Yes, the inmate in Cell 1969."

Another minute went by as Stone drummed his fingers on his desk, and then the drumming stopped as Stone hear something at the phone and his eyes widened.

"What?" He asked before turning towards his office window as he added, "There's got to be a mistake."

A pause went by before Stone continued, "Someone is attacking the town, just outside my office. Surely you're talking about someone in the human wing and not the animal wing, are you not?"

Another pause went by before the sheriff frowned. "There's no mistake. He's still in his cell, even though there's another mad dog outside attacking the town as we speak."

The gang shared looks with each other as Stone nodded. "It's a long story, but I will let you know when this is over. Good day."

He then hung up the phone before looking right at the gang.

"What do you know, it turns out that you kids are right." Stone said. "Your Scooby is still in his cell, even as a mad dog is tearing away outside headquarters as we speak."

The gang all rolled their eyes as they shared looks with each other, only for them to feel some rumbling as if there was an earthquake ongoing.

Before anyone in the office could react, a sudden explosion took place, forcing the occupants to duck behind the sheriff's desk for cover.

When the dust and debris settled, the five peeked out from their hiding spot, where the first thing they saw was a pair of glowing red eyes and a shadowed silhouette of what appeared to be a Great Dane.

"What in the name of anything holy is that?" The sheriff exclaimed as the shadowed figure approached them menacingly and growling.

Before anyone answered, the group gasped as the shadowed figure revealed itself.

It was a brown-furred Great Dane with glowing red eyes, a large jaw and wearing a blue dog tag. However, there were parts of the Great Dane where patches of the brown fur was missing, which partially revealed its metallic enoskeleton.

It was clear that the Robot Hound had patches of its brown fur shot off when it was engaged in the fight against the officers outside of police headquarters, and with a large patch of the brown fur missing on its head, the Robot Hound looked like a dog raised from the dead with the face partially decomposed.

With the Robot Hound growling menacingly at them, the sheriff instinctively reached for his rifle, disengaged the safety pin and opened fire towards the killer machine.

"Sheriff, bullets won't slow that robot down!" Fred yelled as the sheriff opened fire.

"If anything, it only aggregates the robot even more!" Velma added as the bullets only shot off the remaining patches of the Robot Hound's brown fur.

Stone gritted his teeth as he continued to try to shoot down the Robot Hound, only for the robot canine to abruptly sink its teeth into the barrel of the rifle, yank it right out of his hands and tossed it aside as if it was made of cardboard.

Then, the Robot Hound leaped towards the group menacingly.

"So you wanna play rough, eh?" Stone gritted his teeth as his hand grabbed a discarded water pipe that was laying near the desk. "Well, two can play the game!"

Just as the Robot Hound was to pounce right onto them, the sheriff unexpectedly gave the robot a big whack with the water pipe, causing it to smash right through the office door and into the wall across the hallway, all as his adjutant sat at her seat and was dumbfounded by the sight.

Seeing the motionless Robot Hound, the gang turned to Stone.

"Like, that was quite the hit, sheriff!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Where did you learn that?"

"Oh, I used to play college baseball and have represented Crystal Cove in the state police academy baseball games." Stone proudly boasted. "Good thing I still know a thing or two about giving that beast an effective whack."

"Well, beast or no beast, sheriff, are you convinced now that Scooby's not the danger?" Fred asked.

"More than convinced." Stone said as they all stepped out of his office. "You kids need to get out of here, right now, before that robot dog decides to wake up and cause more damage."

"So you're saying that Scooby is now innocent?" Velma asked.

Stone frowned before he said, "Just get out of here and get your friend to safety! I got a feeling that robot dog is hunting you kids down because you've stick your noses at where they don't belong!"

He then turned to his adjutant and added, "Sandra, I need you to call in the SWAT team up here and say that we've got an intruder here who is armed and dangerous, ASAP!"

"Right away, sir." The adjutant nodded as the gang quickly raced their way down the stairs.

Their timing couldn't have been more better, because as they were walking through the door leading to the stairway, the Robot Hound suddenly got up and growled.

Fred was the last to go through the door, and he turned and gasped when he saw the Robot Hound growled and making the leap towards him.

Velma, who was in front of him, quickly grabbed his hand and urged, "Come on!"

With Fred tugged by Velma, the door behind them shut just before the Robot Hound was able to get to them through the open door.

Just as the Robot Hound was thinking of ripping the door down, several shots were fired, and it growled before turning towards the source of the shots.

The shots came from the SWAT team that managed to arrive at the scene, where Stone was shouting, "It's over there, men. Take it down, whatever it takes!"

The heavily-armed officers nodded as they all took aim towards the robot dog, backed up by a dozen more of their own armed with metal sticks and batons.

The Robot Hound growled menacingly and its eyes narrowed as it comes face-to-face with the heavily-armed SWAT team.

* * *

Meanwhile, the gang wasted no time getting back onto the Mystery Machine and were speeding their way through downtown Crystal Cove, en route to Karmah.

"I hope the doctor has received word about what Stone had told us regarding Scooby's having an alibi during the Robot Hound's attacks." Velma remarked. "Because I can guarantee that the doctor is gonna find excuses to justify continuing lock Scooby up for further 'examinations' on his mental health."

"Well, as long as that Robot Hound is being taken care of by the sheriff, we should be fine." Fred said.

However, the minute Fred made the remark, they all felt something hitting the Mystery Machine.

"Like, what the...?" Shaggy wondered, only to be cut off in mid sentence as Daphne saw something in the side mirror.

"Jeepers, the Robot Hound's back!" She exclaimed as she pointed at the left side mirror.

Velma and Shaggy all looked towards the left side mirror, where sure enough, they saw the Robot Hound hanging onto the Mystery Machine's rear bumper.

As if expecting the gang to see it through the side mirror, the Robot Hound looked right into the side mirror, the cold glare in its glowing red eyes unnerving the gang.

"Hang on, gang!" Fred said as he jerked the steering wheel towards the right all in a sudden, leading the van to spin in the clockwise direction.

The spin caused the Robot Hound to let go of the rear bumper and smash into a nearby sign post, however, the robot dog refused to give up and made the leap right towards the Mystery Machine as it rights itself.

The minute the van stopped spinning, the gang all felt the Robot Hound landing right on the roof.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as the robot dog teared through the roof. "It sure doesn't give up!"

Then, seeing that the robot dog was about to grab Daphne, Velma swiftly grabbed the headrest of her seat and used the metal tubes attached to it to strike the Robot Hound in the mouth.

"Back off!" Velma shouted as she struck the Robot Hound in the mouth with the headrest.

Seeing that the metal tubes in the headrest wasn't deterring the Robot Hound from grabbing Daphne by her hair, Shaggy looked around and saw a crowbar in the back, and without hesitating, he grabbed it and slammed it right into the Robot Hound's head.

At the slam, the Robot Hound shook as it lost its grip on Daphne, forcing it to let her go.

As that was happening, the Mystery Machine was driving through a tunnel.

"Fred, do something!" Shaggy exclaimed.

Fred grunted as he once again jerked the steering wheel towards the right, leading the Mystery Machine to drive onto the tunnel walls and ceiling before returning back onto the road in a 360-degree spin.

As the van was driving upside down on the tunnel's ceiling briefly, the Robot Hound lost its grip on the roof and fell onto the road, right onto the path of an approaching tractor trailer hauling gasoline.

At the sight of the Robot Hound landing on the road in front, the truck driver gasped and slammed on the brakes while the Mystery Machine landed back on the road and sped off.

Just as the tractor trailer was about to hit the robot dog, it suddenly lurched to a sudden stop, puzzling the driver.

When he looked forward, his eyes widened when he saw the Robot Hound growling menacingly at the truck.

The robot dog then leaped onto the windshield of the cab and growled, causing the driver to quickly open the door and make a run for it.

With the cab empty, the Robot Hound then boarded the vehicle and its hind leg stretched towards the gas pedal.

With the tractor trailer driving off with the Robot Hound behind the wheel, the driver stare dumbfoundedly before pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

Meanwhile, the gang managed to get to the asylum, where they wasted no time making their way to the main office to meet with Doctor Sionis.

However, it was clear that the asylum's director and head doctor was hearing none of the gang's protests when they demanded that Scooby be released.

"I'm sorry, but just because your dog is innocent in the attacks doesn't mean he isn't at risk in suffering in a mental breakdown at some point along the line." Doctor Sionis folded his arms. "Until we can determine for sure if Scoobert is well enough to be released, he will need to stay here for further observations."

"But Scoob's doing alright for a dog living in a place like Crystal Cove!" Velma exclaimed.

"Yeah." Shaggy agreed. "Like, Scoob doesn't have any mental health history, as far as we know."

"Exactly." Dr. Sionis glared. "It's already unusual for us to treat a talking dog, not to mention we don't even know much about your Scooby's family history and other information we need, so until we can get a good lay of the land..."

The doctor paused in mid-sentence when their attention was drawn towards the office window overlooking the asylum's parking lot, where they heard several screeches and a loud honk.

Looking outside, the gang's eyes all widened at the sight of the truck speeding its way through the parking lot, crashing into several cars in the process as it sped towards the asylum.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed as the doctor joined them.

"I don't believe it!" Daphne exclaimed.

"Like, doesn't that robot dog ever _give up_?!" Shaggy added as they recognized the Robot Hound behind the wheel of the tractor trailer, its eyes glowing red with pure hatred.

It was clear that the tractor trailer was not slowing down at all, let alone stopping before it hits the building.

At the sight, Sionis went to his desk and quickly pressed a button.

When the party at the other end of the intercomm answered, the asylum director barked, "Doctor Sionis here, I need the heavily-armed tactics team at the main entrance, right now!"

The minute he finished issuing the order, the director then turned towards the gang and added, "I suggest you kids get out of here before it all hits the fan."

Before the gang could respond, they heard heavy gunfire from outside as the truck skids out of control, and it was clear that the security team managed to take out a number of the tires of the truck.

As the truck skids closer to the asylum building, Velma realized something and said, "Doctor, that truck is hauling gasoline! It's gonna blow if-"

Before Velma could finish, the truck skidded right into the building, which was then followed by a deafening crash.

And then, seconds later, a deafening explosion took place and the whole building shook violently as if an earthquake had taken place.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	11. The final showdown

Chapter 11: The final showdown

The front side of the asylum was heavily damaged beyond repair as the dust began to settle, during which the extent of the damage caused by the explosion became a clear picture.

Doctor Sionis' office wasn't spared from the destruction caused by the explosion, and as sirens began to wail in the distance, the gang and the director coughed as the dust settled.

"Are you kids alright?" The director asked in concern as they all emerged from under his desk, where they had ducked under in the last minute just prior to the deafening explosion.

"I think so, Doctor." Fred said as he rubbed his forehead. "Gang?"

"Same here, though my ears was ringing a bit from that noise." Daphne said.

"Someone needs to get the license plate of that truck." Shaggy added.

Just then, a couple of security officers rushed into the office.

"Doctor Sionis." The first officer, who the gang recognized as Johnson, exclaimed. "We've got a problem."

"What is it?" Sionis asked as he turned to the two officers. "Is it about the heavy damage we've sustained from that runaway fuel truck crashing into the building and the explosion that followed?"

"Worse than that, Doctor." The second officer reported. "The explosion caused massive damage to the B and C Wings of the hospital, which is where the fuel truck crashed into in the first place prior to the explosion."

"The onsite security teams posted in the two wings reported that the cell walls were damaged and that the inmates, who are secured in their cells in the moment, will no doubt take advantage of the opportunity to escape." Johnson nodded.

"Have the whole facility placed under Code Red." Sionis said as he turned away from the gang. "Any staff injuries?"

"The first aiders are checking on the injured as we speak, sir." The second officer reported. "And we already had the facility placed under Code Red the minute we took the hit."

"Excellent." Sionis nodded towards the door. "Lead the way, I wanna get a first hand on the damage."

Then, as he followed the two security officers out of the office, he added under his breath, "The state's not gonna like this."

As the three men left the gang alone in the director's office, Fred turned towards the others and said, "I think we should also get going and find Scooby and see if he's alright, gang."

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Shaggy urged. "Like, let's go, before that Robot Hound finds us or founds him!"

"Are you sure the Robot Hound can survive an explosion of such magnitude, Shag?" Fred asked, unsurely.

"The fact that the Robot Hound was still able to come after us in one piece, even after dealing with the SWAT at the sheriff's office, says that there's no way that explosion could destroy it, Freddie." Velma deadpanned as they rushed out of the office.

* * *

Meanwhile, it was complete chaos in the animal wing of Karmah as the heavily-armed guard fired their weapons towards the intruder, trying and failing to bring it down.

The intruder, revealed to be the Robot Hound, growled as it continued to storm its way through the ring, completely unaffected by the bullets fired towards it.

The Robot Hound then paused when it reached a particular door, then without warning, it smashed its way right through it, leaving behind a large hole in its wake.

Scooby was lying on the floor of his cell, wondering what to do next when he felt something shaking.

Without warning, the cell wall suddenly burst open and when the dust settled, the Great Dane's eyes widened when he saw the Robot Hound standing at the wall, growling at him menacingly.

"Ripe!" Scooby exclaimed in fright at the sight of the Robot Hound.

He had good reason to be afraid, as the Robot Hound lurched towards him, and he only managed to move out of the way in the nick of time and raced out of the hole the Robot Hound created.

Running down the corridor, Scooby kept barking loudly as he tried to attract someone's attention.

"Romebody!" Scooby barked. "Relp!"

Just as he reached the last hole in the corridor, the Robot Hound suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stood right at the hole, growling menacingly at Scooby.

As Scooby paused, not sure what to do next, suddenly a shot of electricity appeared out of nowhere and completely paralyzed the Robot Hound.

As electricity jolted through the robot, Scooby raised an eyebrow before seeing the source of the electric shock.

The shock came from none other than Professor Pericles, who was using Officer Johnson's Taser.

Seeing the bewildered Great Dane, the parrot turned towards him and said, "Go! Your friends are vaiting!"

Before Scooby could argue back, the Robot Hound abruptly had a surge of energy and completely snapped.

With a growl, the killer robot suddenly leaped to its left and knocked over the parrot, knocking the Taser out of its wing in the process.

Knowing that its only a matter of seconds before the Robot Hound turned its attention towards him, Scooby quickly took off for the nearest exit.

Scooby was out of the area just as the robot marched menacingly towards Pericles, intending to finish the parrot off, when Pericles suddenly jolted upward.

"You seem to be forgetting something." Pericles taunted.

The robot paused before turning to its back, in time to see Scooby's retreating figure rounding a corner.

With a snarl, the Robot Hound quickly raced its way down the hallway, in pursuit of Scooby.

* * *

Meanwhile, the gang were racing down the hallways in a frantic search for the animal wing when they took in the chaos in front of them.

Shaggy was well ahead of the others, intending to ask one of the officers if Scooby is one of the inmates and staff members evacuated from the affected wing, when Velma grabbed him by the arm.

"Shaggy, wait!" She exclaimed.

"Like, what are you doing, Velms?" Shaggy asked as he turned towards her.

"You can't go in there!" Velma said. "Can't you see that the area's too dangerous for us to go in?"

"But Scoob's in there somewhere!" Shaggy retorted as he tried to shake Velma's grip off. "I'm not leaving until I know for sure that Scoob's safe."

"Shaggy, I'm sure the officers would be able to get Scooby to safety." Fred urged. "If we go in, we'll sure disrupt their efforts in getting everyone to safety."

"Speak for yourself." Shaggy snapped as he managed to shake Velma's grip off. "Danger or no danger, I'm not abandoning my old buddy Scooby-"

Before Shaggy could continued, their attention was drawn towards a familiar cry.

"Raggy!" Scooby's voice echoed, and the gang turned towards the source of the voice, just in time to see a running Scooby leap right into Shaggy's arms.

"Scooby-Doo!" Shaggy exclaimed as he fell backwards from the impact. "You're okay!"

"Re won't be rif we don't ret out of rere right away!" Scooby said urgently with his tail pointing towards where he had come from.

The gang looked towards where Scooby's tail was pointing towards, in time to see a pair of glowing red eyes radiating with hatred to be getting closer.

Recognizing the pair of glowing red eyes, Fred shouted, "Run!"

Without another minute, the gang quickly took off, just as the Robot Hound came into view and pounced right onto where Shaggy and Scooby were standing at just seconds ago.

* * *

The gang braved their way through the rubble as they raced for the parking lot with the Robot Hound in close pursuit.

In spite of the close calls, with the Robot Hound nearly succeeding in sinking its large fangs into either Scooby's tail, Shaggy's shirt or Daphne's dress, the gang managed to make it to the parked Mystery Machine with the Robot Hound a distance away.

"Fred, hurry!" Velma urged as the blonde fumbled through his pockets for the keys. "We don't have all day!"

As Fred continued to frantically search for the keys, the others all saw the Robot Hound catching sight of them and making the leap.

"Fred!" Daphne urged. "The keys!"

"Uh...uh...I..." Fred panicked as he tried to reach for the keys. "I...think I might have...misplaced them..."

"A fine time for us to find out on that!" Velma snapped before grabbing his hand once more and added, "Come on!"

She managed to pull Fred away just as the Robot Hound landed right at where he was standing at a second ago.

The Robot Hound growled as it looked forward and see the gang racing across the highway to the closed-down Steelco Industries steel mill.

With a snarl, the Robot Hound followed the gang across the highway, narrowly avoiding getting ran over by the passing traffic in the process.

* * *

Inside the closed-down steel mill, the gang looked around as they pondered their next move.

Fred looked to the side and noticed the light switches and the master panel for the switches to all of the machinery.

Swiftly, he flipped the switches on and the whole steel mill came to life.

As the blonde was doing that, Shaggy and Scooby looked through the rectangular peephole on the steel door.

Seeing the familiar pair of glowing red eyes crossing the highway, the duo turned back towards the others.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "He's coming!"

"Then, we don't have much time." Fred said as Shaggy and Scooby slid the peephole shut.

Seeing the nearby steel rods laying on the floor nearby, Fred continued, "We should be able to buy ourselves more time if we keep the gate doors jammed shut."

Shaggy and Scooby both shared looks with each other before they proceeded to lock the gate doors up tight, grab the steel rods on the floor and jam them through the two handles on the gate doors.

Once that was done, the duo then joined the rest of the gang in heading deeper inside the steel mill when they heard smashing from the gate doors.

The gang all paused and turned briefly towards the gate doors, where the bumps are a good sign that someone, or rather, something was trying to force its way through the doors.

"Come on!" Fred urged as they continued on further into the steel mill. "That's not gonna hold it off for long."

As the gang rounded a corner, they paused briefly when they heard a loud explosion from the gate doors.

Their pausing didn't come at a better time, for at that very minute, the snapped steel rods used for keeping the gate doors jammed shut landed right at where they would've been standing at had they decided to continue running.

As the snapped steel rods landed in front of them, Shaggy remarked, "Like, that's not gonna hold it off at all."

It was then that they looked upwards and gasped as the Robot Hound stared down at them from the catwalk it was standing on.

At the sight of the Robot Hound glaring down at them menacingly, Fred shouted, "Split up!"

The gang needed no further urging, as they immediately split up and moved out of the way just as the Robot Hound pounced onto the spot they were standing at.

Looking around, the Robot Hound soon saw Shaggy and Scooby disappearing behind some large machinery before turning and saw Fred and the girls still running down the main hallway.

With its targets in sight, the Robot Hound took off after Fred and the girls.

Running up a set of stairs, Fred and the girls soon reached the control room in the steel mill, only for the Robot Hound to smash through the window overlooking the plant and land right on the control panel.

Gasping, the trio then tried to retreat out of the room, only for the killer robot to land in front of them right at the doorway.

With the red glow in its eyes intensifying, the trio knew that its only a matter of seconds before the Robot Hound makes the killing move.

"Anything, Freddie?" Daphne asked as she and Velma clung onto Fred.

"I would be able to do something if that Robot Hound isn't that darn fast." Fred said.

Then, seeing that Shaggy and Scooby are absent, Velma asked, "Where are Shaggy and Scooby when you need them?"

Just then, the four heard a rallying cry coming from outside, and they all turned towards the source.

Scooby was standing right on a forklift piloted by Shaggy, and the former was holding a long steel rod and sporting a helmet.

Before the Robot Hound had time to react, Scooby threw the rod right towards it, leading the rod to impale itself right into the robot's chest.

"En garde!" Shaggy exclaimed while the Robot Hound turned its glare towards him and Scooby.

Growling, the Robot Hound turned and leaped right towards the speeding forklift.

"Like, buckle up, Scooby-Doo!" Shaggy exclaimed as he shifted the controls in the forklift.

Scooby nodded just as Shaggy quickly reversed the forklift, with Scooby keeping an eye on the pursuing Robot Hound while Shaggy looked backwards to make sure they don't end up crashing onto something behind them.

It was then that the Robot Hound managed to catch up to the retreating forklift and sink its fangs into one of the forks, stopping the forklifts retreat in the process, and shake its head violently, lifting the vehicle up and shaking it violently.

While Scooby continued to hang onto the forklift at the top, Shaggy was momentarily caught off guard and was swung out of the forklift.

Then, the Robot Hound let go of its grip on the fork as it swung left wards, causing the forklift and Scooby to end up smashing right into a catwalk above before it came crashing down onto the floor.

Seeing the Robot Hound approaching him, Scooby quickly got into the cab and tried to work the controls.

However, the controls weren't responding to Scooby's commands, and he looked out of the cab window in time to see the Robot Hound right in front of him, the cab window the only thing separating the two.

Before the Robot Hound could make its next move, abruptly a giant claw appeared from above, grabbed the killer robot and took it away.

The scene then cuts right to Shaggy as he operates the claw controls while Velma looked on anxiously, though she relaxed as they watched the Robot Hound struggling, and failing, to escape from the mechanical claw's grip.

The claw soon tossed the Robot Hound right towards the wall on the other end of the mill, leading the killer robot to crash into the wall before falling and landing right on a conveyor belt.

"This should do it." Fred said as he manned the controls of the conveyor belt and flipped some switches.

The conveyor belt, nominally used for transporting scrap metal, transported the Robot Hound through a series of presses, several rings of flames designed to melt the scrap metal and then more presses before the killer robot was finally dumped into a small vat of molten steel.

Fred then lowered the vat onto ground, where the gang then gathered around to examine it.

"Like, is the thing...terminated?" Shaggy asked anxiously as they looked into the vat.

Just then, without warning, the Robot Hound suddenly burst right out of the vat and landed right behind the gang, growling menacingly as the molten steel drips off its body.

The gang all gasped in horror as the still-functional Robot Hound, with its eyes glowing red, marched towards them menacingly.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Fred exclaimed wide-eyed.

"Must've been a special grade of steel that resists all forms of damage." Velma agreed.

Just as the Robot Hound was about to make its move, without warning, a larger forklift running on the type of tracks one would find on bulldozers or tanks ran right over the killer robot.

The larger forklift, operated by Scooby, came to a complete stop right on top of the now-crushed killer robot, and the gang saw the red glow in its eyes disappearing.

From the cab, Scooby looked down on the crushed killer robot and growled, "Rou've been terminated, rad dog!"

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	12. The unmasking and epilogue

Chapter 12: The unmasking and epilogue

A short while later, the parking lot in front of the closed-down steel mill was transformed into a sheriff's command post and buzzing with activity.

When the sheriff arrived, he was wearing an arm sling with a cast around his right arm, on top of sporting a black eye and some bandages on his face, a clear testimony to the aftermath of his encounter with the killer robot back at police headquarters.

Stone didn't look impressed one bit as he arrived, not that the gang blamed him, and he later turned his glare towards the team of Wyatt Industries technicians as they arrived at the scene.

Dr. Wyatt and Jason stepped out of their car just in time to witness a team of deputies carrying the destroyed Robot Hound out of the mill, and the sheriff narrowed his eyes at the sight of the remains of the killer robot before turning towards the doctor.

"Whoever designed this thing clearly had intended for it to be a killing machine used in war." Stone glared.

"For battlefield purposes, yes." Dr. Wyatt replied. "The Robot Hound was programmed strictly for combat support, reconnaissance and surveying roles. We never thought that it would end up-"

As the team of deputies carried the remains past her and the group, she continued, "-going on a totally destructive rampage and demolishing the town."

"Someone sure went through great lengths to tamper with the Robot Hound, Dr. Wyatt." Fred said.

"And that someone wanted to make sure that potential clients would turn away from Wyatt Technologies and result in your firm going bankrupt." Velma added.

"Which then enables Destroido Corp to move in swiftly and acquire your assets while you're filing for bankruptcy protection, Doctor." Daphne said as the gang turned to face Dr. Wyatt.

Dr. Wyatt narrowed her eyes at the remark, during which Fred continued, "And Destroido's plans doesn't stop at your firm, Doctor Wyatt. Staples Technologies is next on its list, and I'm telling you that it's not gonna be pretty if a company as unethical as Destroido Corp happens to be the very first company to manage to explore the new frontier on autonomous robots."

"Like, I can even bet that Destroido Corp dispatched people into both your firms and have you and Dr. Staples set up to neutralize each other, thus allowing it to take over both of your firms easily." Shaggy added.

"All as Destroido Corp succeeded in developing the robots both your firms were working on, while the person responsible for tampering with the Robot Hound walks away from all of that, thousands of dollars richer." Fred concluded.

Dr. Wyatt and the sheriff shared looks with each other, and the sheriff frowned.

"Sounds like a clear case of industrial espionage." Stone finally said. "Which then begs the question: Who is responsible for all of this?"

"And how exactly do we find the person responsible for tampering with the Robot Hound?" Dr. Wyatt asked.

The gang turned towards Velma, who only smiled.

"Fortunately for you guys, I've memorized the exact details of the Robot Hound's schematics." She adjusted her glasses before turning towards the remains, grabbed something out of the head and held it in the air.

"Aha!" Velma exclaimed as she held the object.

"What's that, Velma?" Fred asked.

"It's a wireless control." Velma said. "It stood out to me because it wasn't part of the schematics, given that the robot's CPU already contained its own wireless controls."

"Then, what's this wireless control doing here?" Dr. Wyatt asked.

Swiftly, Velma opened up the wireless control, took out the USB receiver and plugged it into her laptop and started typing, then she paused and turned towards the others.

"Just as I thought." Velma said. "This wireless control receives commands from a designated entity, and its frequency is designed to override the existing signalling frequency that the Robot Hound is supposed to receive its commands from."

"And I take it that you can track the origin of the signal that is transmitted through the overriding frequency, can you?" Dr. Wyatt raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Velma nodded as she did some more typing, then upon hitting the "Enter" button, the screen showed a map with a red dot pinpointing the origin of the signalling frequency in the duration of the Robot Hound's rampage at Karmah and in the steel mill.

And as everyone watching had suspected, the red dot is located exactly at one of the offices at the head office of Wyatt Technologies.

* * *

The scene then shifted to one of the offices in Wyatt Technologies, where a man was frantically typing on the computer.

He slammed on the keyboard in frustration when the screen showed that contact has been lost, and he got up from his seat and placed his hands on his hips.

As he paced back and forth in the office, the scene then moved to the open drawer at the man's desk, revealing several schematics inside.

The man sighed, picked up his cell phone and dialed a number, only for a voice at the doorway to startle him.

"Must've been a tough day at the office, isn't it?" The voice asked, and the man was startled and turned towards the doorway.

Standing at the doorway were the gang, Dr. Wyatt, her son Jason, the sheriff and a couple of deputies, and the look of betrayal on Dr. Wyatt's face was unmistakable.

"Your little plan didn't quite work out, didn't it, Mr. Phillips?" Stone asked as he nodded at the computer on Mr. Phillips' desk.

Mr. Phillips, stunned by the sudden intrusion, stood at his spot blankly as his hand held his phone.

"Only that I think that this scheme was cooked up by your real employer, Destroido Corp, isn't it?" Velma folded her arms.

"Paying you a generous sum of money in return for tampering with the Robot Hound, resulting in our firm losing potential clients and thus pushing me to fold it, which then opens the door for Destroido Corp to enter the fray and swoop in and take the project away from our hands." Dr. Wyatt walked towards Mr. Phillips and placed her hands on her hips. "How could you did this?!"

"Aren't you supposed to be bound to a code of ethics that puts your duty to your employer and members of the public first and foremost, Vic?" Jason added as he folded his arms.

"It wasn't about your duty." Fred said. "It was all about money, isn't it?"

Facing the glares from the people at the doorway, Mr. Phillips swallowed and then threw in the towel.

"Okay, I'll save you all the trouble." He finally said. "The project itself worths billions, but I didn't think Dr. Wyatt was executing it properly, being the control freak she is, and with a project like this, we can't afford to compromise safety for the sake of meeting impossible deadlines, a problem compounded by having a control freak looking over the details, changing the programming at the last minute and not accepting any suggested improvements from members of the team!"

With a sigh, he then continued, "Destroido Corp is the only company who can execute a project like this the right way, and I was quite the fool in deciding in favour of joining your firm instead of joining Destroido Corp."

"No doubt about it." Stone grunted before gesturing towards the gang and added, "One question, though: Why frame the kids?"

"Because they're snoopin' around at where their noses don't belong at, and my pal assured me that once they're neutralized, starting with the dog, then we wouldn't need to worry much about things going wrong." Mr. Phillips grumbled.

"Rey!" Scooby began growling, during which Stone turned towards the gang.

"Either way, I would've made millions if these nosy kids haven't butted in!" Mr. Phillips added, only for the sheriff to cut in.

"Okay, I've heard enough." Stone said as the two deputies moved to handcuff Mr. Phillips. "Victor Phillips, you're under arrest for industrial espionage..."

As the sheriff read the charges before he and the deputies escorted Mr. Phillips out of the office, Dr. Wyatt turned towards the gang.

"We really owed you kids one." Dr. Wyatt said. "If it weren't for you kids, I wouldn't have known about the leak we've got here in Wyatt Technologies."

"And I'm sure you guys are relieved that your dog's name has been cleared at last." Jason added as he nodded at Shaggy rubbing Scooby's back.

"We sure are, Jason." Velma nodded as well. "Though going forward, Dr. Wyatt, I'd strongly suggest that you guys keep a sharp eye on your projects and make sure nothing that would suggest any form of industrial espionage has taken place."

"As well, I'll also suggest that you and Dr. Staples patch things up between the two of you." Daphne added.

"Yeah." Fred agreed. "Had the both you get yourselves carried away by your feud, it's only a matter a time before both of you find yourselves without a foothold in the industry while your competitor, particularly Destroido Corp, gets far ahead in the game, and who knows what sort of damage the company would leave in its wake."

Dr. Wyatt paused her lips and frowned, and her son turned towards her in concern.

She then sighed and nodded, "I will keep that in mind."

The gang shared looks with each other and nodded as well.

* * *

 _May 22, 2012_

That late afternoon, shortly after last period of classes, the gang gathered together at their lockers as Fred held the morning edition of the Crystal Cove Gazette.

The main headline detailed the arrest from the previous night while a footnote directed them to the technology section of the paper, where word has it that Wyatt Technologies and Staples Technologies are in the preliminary stages of merger discussions.

"Well, it's about time those two put aside their feud." Velma remarked as they read the paper together.

"Yeah." Fred nodded as he flipped a page. "Though here's something interesting, gang."

"What is it, Freddie?" Daphne asked.

Pointing at one particular news article, which was accommodated by a photo of a security officer pushing a bear restrained with a mask and donning a green hat, white collar and green tie on a dolly, Fred said, "Karmah Asylum managed to round up almost every single patient that managed to break out of the facility in the aftermath of the Robot Hound's rampage."

"'Almost' every single patient, Freddie?" Velma raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, one patient was not accounted for after the escapees were rounded up." Fred nodded.

At the mention of the patient that was not accounted for, Scooby's eyes perked up.

"Rone patient?" Scooby asked.

"Yeah, Scooby." Velma turned towards him. "Why?"

"Recause Ri saw a parrot last night that relped me rescape from re Robot Hound." Scooby explained.

"A parrot?" The gang were all now facing him.

"Like, is that who I think it is?" Shaggy asked.

"I don't recall Johnson mentioning any other parrots being locked up at Karmah." Velma frowned.

Fred turned back towards the newspaper article he was reading, only to find an envelope with an "E" sticker by his feet.

With a frown, he leaned down to pick up the envelope.

"Looks like we've gotten another message from Mr. E, gang." Fred announced as he held the envelope, leading everyone to turn towards him.

"What did Mr. E say?" Daphne asked in concern.

Fred opened the envelope, pulled out the note inside and read it.

"Follow the parrot and keep a sharp eye on him." Fred read, and everyone shared looks with each other in concern.

An uncomfortable silence followed, then Shaggy asked, "Like, what does he mean by that?"

"Beats me." Fred shrugged as he looked at the note again, then he added, "However, I've got a feeling that we won't be seeing the last of Professor Pericles, gang."

As the gang looked at the note, the scene then shifted towards the nearby window, revealing the cloudy sky outside.

Unbeknownst to the gang, a shadowed figure was watching them through the window.

There was a flash of lightning, and in a brief second, the shadowed figure revealed itself to be Professor Pericles, though at the second flash of lightning that followed the thunder, the parrot had disappeared.

The scene then fades out as the palm trees across the street began swaying from the rain and wind.

* * *

 **The adventures of Mystery Inc. continues in _D3-1 SDMI: The Secret Serum._**

 **Please read and review!**


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